Eddie Hearn says that Anthony Joshua has spiteful intentions for Kubrat Pulev and intends to ‘dissect’ his opponent ahead of a knockout finish.
The IBF, IBO, WBA and WBO heavyweight champion will face Pulev on 12 December at the SSE Arena in Wembley, and Hearn believes that a more aggressive Joshua will turn up compared to the fighter that beat Andy Ruiz Jr. last December.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Hearn said: "If he hurts Pulev, he will jump on him.
"He could hurt Pulev at any moment because he carries power and speed.
"You will see him dissect Pulev. It's a battle of the jabs early on. Pulev has a fantastic jab. Pulev likes to dictate the pace by disrupting your rhythm.”
Hearn warned his fighter not to stay on the back foot too long against the Bulgarian veteran.
"Klitschko did that to AJ. AJ gave Klitschko too much respect and must be careful not to do that with Pulev,” he explained.
"He has to be rough on the inside, beat him up. Pulev has marked up, over the years. AJ's jab and sharpness will cut that face up. Then you will see AJ brutally knock him out.
"In Saudi Arabia he followed a game-plan. Things have changed now. He's got that spite back. You will see him break Pulev down, beat him up then knock him out."
Ahead of the fight, Joshua has been sparring with fighters such as Peter Kadiru, Fabio Wardley, Bryant Jennings and Gerald Washington.
The fight against Pulev is expected to be Joshua’s last before fighting WBC heavyweight Tyson Fury twice next year, though he may be obliged to fight Oleksandr Usyk in a mandatory defence of his WBO belt.