Hearn: 'Ferocious' AJ primed to cause Prenga 'an awful lot of pain'

Anthony Joshua has adopted a "ferocious" mindset ahead of his comeback fight against Kristian Prenga and is primed to "cause an awful lot of pain", says Matchroom president Barry Hearn.

Negotiations continue around a long-awaited all-British showdown with Tyson Fury, but Joshua must first hold up his end of the bargain by beating Prenga in Saudi Arabia this Saturday.

Joshua has not fought since knocking YouTuber Jake Paul out in December, with the two-time heavyweight world champion having an extended period away from the ring after surviving a car crash that killed two of his friends in Nigeria.

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The 36-year-old has been training alongside former undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk and Hearn, who has been associated with Joshua since his 2012 breakthrough, has warned he has never seen him more dialled in.

"AJ looks in the shape of his life," Hearn told Sky Sports News. "He's been training at Usyk's camp. He's tremendously motivated, not just to win but to put on a show.

"Prenga is dangerous, we don't know too much about him, but Joshua is a ferocious animal at the moment, and you'll see a ferocious animal in there.

"Don't blink, look for fireworks. AJ is not taking anything for granted, he knows he's got a job to do, and he will be ruthlessly efficient. He's in the mood to cause an awful lot of pain on Saturday."

Hearn continued: "AJ is in an amazing place at the moment. I don't think I've seen him look better than this in the 14 years I've known him or look so motivated for the long term.

"Some of that has been fuelled by that tragic accident, but he's now talking about the next three years in the ring. A year ago, we were talking about potentially two fights and then going off into a happy retirement."

It may have been a decade in the making, but Hearn believes Joshua vs Fury will be the biggest heavyweight contest held in his lifetime when it finally arrives - and hopes it takes place at Wembley.

"We'd love it at Wembley, that's what we're fighting for," he added. "It's a global fight, but we think this is a fight for British fans predominantly.

"The British fans have been very patient. They've put up with 10 years of waiting for this, so we're hoping they'll stick with the terms in AJ's contract, which specify the fight must take place in the UK."