The former heavyweight world champion suffered a comprehensive defeat to his compatriot in September's fight but his promoter revealed that he was always planning to return to the ring despite the speculation about his future.

Asked about the prospect of Joshua hanging up his gloves, Hearn told talkSPORT: "No, never, never.

"One because physically he feels good and he's looking good.

"But also because when you suffer a loss like that the decision is not, 'Shall we retire?' It's now about, 'How do we look when we come back?'"

Hearn acknowledged that Joshua was left "hurting" after the defeat but he would be concerned if his charge didn't have such an attitude to the sport.

The promoter said: "Honestly, I think after a fight like that, he is a very brave faced guy publicly, he wants to show you how to accept defeat humbly.

"And I think a fighter off the back of a defeat a couple of weeks after they are generally okay.

"They go back to the gym, everyone is giving them a pat on the back and they are okay.

"But I would say he has struggled if I am honest. I always say to a fighter, 'I want you to struggle, I want it to hurt really bad'.

"I don't want AJ to go, 'Oh well,' and he's never going to be that type of fighter.

"Yeah, he is hurting. He took a pasting at times in that fight and I think he has got his back up and he wants to come back stronger."

Hearn added: "I don't think it is ever easy. The reason this sport is so compelling is because you are on your own in there.

"When you are scrambling on the floor to get up and hang on for dear life, time and time again it is very humbling and probably very humiliating.

"He had to go through that experience. He never stopped trying, he never stopped trying to get up till the point where he couldn't get up.

"I think he showed a lot of heart but he got well beaten and he needs to go back and work out why."