🔗 Share this article

The YouTuber-turned-fighter's mouth gaped wide open, his eyes becoming huge glazed saucers as he sank to the canvas in stunned disbelief after a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It looked as if Paul was trying to say "Wow!" as the force of the blow sank in to his rattled senses.

"Those watching didn't spend money to see this crap," snapped the referee, summing up the dismal affair much more effectively than anyone else managed to.

Pinned in a corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could no longer retreat or cling to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the gravity of the sweet science became clear. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the shot that broke his jaw in two distinct locations, Paul was lost in an completely dazed moment.

So this is how it is like, and appears, to be struck cleanly by a real boxer, an Olympic gold medallist and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Wow" is indeed the word.

It was the fourth time the social media star had been sent to the floor, but the consequences of a clean punch meant Paul could not rise and taunt his opponent before the referee called the contest over. As blood began to leak from his lips, and a dull ache radiated through his jaw, Paul at last understood how difficult, grueling, and dangerous boxing is at a decent level of professionalism.

An Unimpressive Impressive Victory for Joshua

Anthony Joshua, it should be stressed, was not impressive during the chaos. After his hollow victory, he made a cut-throat motion that suggested a precise and lethal finish when, in reality, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for the majority of the fight. Instead of glowering with menace or exhibiting an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had appeared hesitant and awkward for nearly five rounds.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a fundamental requirement in elite boxing, dictated the outcome. Without the gas to flee any longer, and resorting to slipping to the canvas as often as he could for a breather, Paul was left defenseless by fatigue. Joshua applied the brutal ending, but, up to that point, he had looked like a sad shadow of the fighter he had been in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Comments

"It wasn't the best performance," Joshua conceded. "The end goal was to get Jake Paul, corner him and do damage. That has been the plan, and that's what was on my mind. It took a bit longer than anticipated, but the right hand eventually found its destination."

Joshua praised Paul's courage but he offered an excuse for his own labored showing. "He came up against a genuine competitor tonight that's had a fifteen-month layoff," Joshua said, mentioning his previous loss. "We dusted off the rust, and I am eager to head into 2026."

The Future: Past Their Prime and New Talent

In the press conference that followed, a jovial Joshua attempted a poor imitation of his domestic rival as he demanded a fight against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will probably have his way, but that bout comes much too late in their careers. Both men are on the far side of the peak.

In stark contrast, the most interesting heavyweights in the world remain Oleksandr Usyk and the British prospect. Usyk remains the undoubted king of the division, after defeating both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. At the same time, Itauma is a rapidly ascending talent. The youthful British heavyweight likely have required fewer than half the amount of three-minute periods that Joshua required to send Paul into a suitably astonished stupor.

The Defeated Fighter's Unbowed Reaction

But the public receives what the public desires, and that certainly means additional low-quality celebrity contests. Paul appeared genuinely proud and cocky to have had his mandible fractured by a hammer-like right. In the wee hours of the next day, he posted an radiograph, with the two fractures marked in red.

That jokey reference to the Mexican superstar, a far greater boxer than Joshua but a equally faded force, showed that Paul's brazen audacity remains unbroken. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will soon locate another opponent with whom he can make more than $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before leaving for the medical facility, Paul expelled a streak of blood onto the ring floor. It was another grim symbol of the evening as Paul mixed blunt truth with blood-flecked bullshit and stated: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A proper beating from one of the greatest to ever step in the ring. I adore this shit and I'm going to come back and keep on winning."