“AJ got stopped by Daniel Dubois, came back, fought Jake Paul. That’s it. Who’s to say AJ’s the same fighter that he once was?” Hearn said to iFL TV. “I believe he is, but you’ve still got to show it.”

Hearn admitted he wants to see Joshua produce a sharp performance before declaring him ready for a proposed clash with Fury.

“I’ve always believed AJ knocks him out. I’m absolutely 100% convinced. But we’ve still got to prove ourselves,” Hearn said. “If AJ goes in tomorrow night and doesn’t look sharp, I won’t sit here and say, ‘Wow, he was unbelievable.’ I’d say, ‘Look, he’s been through a lot, but he didn’t look a million dollars tonight.'”

Despite his confidence in Joshua, Hearn stressed that Fury has repeatedly answered critics throughout his career.

“I think Fury will always raise his game against the opposition,” Hearn said. “He’s done it so many times in his career, proved me wrong half a dozen times in fights that I thought he’d lose, but I just don’t believe if AJ can look how I hope he looks tomorrow night, he will go into this fight as a massive favorite.”

Joshua returns against Prenga with hopes of moving straight into the long-discussed fight with Fury, but Hearn made it clear he wants to see the former two-time heavyweight champion pass one more test before making any bold declarations.