Anthony Joshua's career-long promoter sat ringside and watched the former two-time unified heavyweight champion suffer two knockdowns in the opening minutes against Albanian underdog Kristian Prenga.

Despite that early scare, Joshua returned to his feet and continued fighting. In the second round, that resilience paid off as the 36-year-old cornered his man before teeing off with several hard combinations leaving Prenga in danger.

Soon enough, the relatively unknown club fighter hit the canvas heavily and despite trying to beat the count, referee Luis Pabon waved things off.

Hearn was among the many people in the ring to congratulate Joshua, recovering from a dreadful start to earn another highlight reel finish, before accepting he believed the Brit's future plans were about to be up in smoke.

"During the first round, I thought it was all over," Hearn told The Ring.

"I don't know how he got through that first round honestly. At one point, everything could've been over. Not just the Tyson Fury fight, the career. That's the reality of what could’ve happened if he didn't keep getting up. The career is over."

After his dramatic recovery win, Joshua (30-4, 27 KOs) is expected to move forward with a much-anticipated domestic showdown against fellow former two-time titleholder Tyson Fury.

The pair already have an agreement to meet at some stage on a date in November.

Before Joshua's eventful in-ring return, Fury (36-2-1, 25 KOs) easily defeated long faded former title challenger Mariusz Wach on Friday night with a seventh-round stoppage in Pattaya, Thailand.

Joshua's promoter couldn't help but be proud of how his charge has dealt with everything, especially returning to the sport after the devastating car accident which killed close friends Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele.

“I just never experienced drama like that in my life,” Hearn continued. “The strength that he showed in the last seven months, and the strength that he had tonight, he’s a fighter, through and through. The one thing that he will always have, the one thing he will never lose, is the ability to knock you out cold. That will never leave him.”