Jake Paul's jaw dropped wide open, his eyes becoming wide, stunned circles as he collapsed to the canvas in stunned disbelief after a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It appeared as if Paul was attempting to utter "Whoa!" as the severity of the blow sank in to his rattled senses.
"Those watching didn't pay to see this crap," said the referee, encapsulating the sorry spectacle far more succinctly than any observer else could.
Pinned in a neutral corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could no longer retreat or hold on to Joshua's legs in a desperate clinch as the serious reality of boxing enveloped him. Instead, as he tried to absorb the punch that fractured his mandible in two distinct locations, Paul was lost in an utterly stunned moment.
So that is what it is like, and looks, to be hit hard by a real professional fighter, an Olympic gold medallist and former world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is certainly the appropriate term.
It was the fourth time the social media star had been sent to the floor, but the consequences of a clean power shot ensured Paul could not get up and taunt his opponent before the referee waved the charade to a halt. As blood began to trickle from his mouth, and a dull ache radiated through his jawbone, Paul finally understood how hard, exhausting, and perilous boxing is at a respectable level of professionalism.
An Unimpressive Commanding Win for the Victor
Anthony Joshua, it must be noted, was not impressive during the chaos. After his empty victory, he performed a throat-slitting gesture that hinted at a precise and lethal execution when, in reality, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for most of the fight. Rather than exuding intimidation or exhibiting an iron certainty, Joshua had seemed tentative and awkward for almost five stanzas.
Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a fundamental requirement in top-level boxing, dictated the result. Without the gas to escape any more, and reduced to falling to the deck as often as he could for a breather, Paul was rendered helpless by fatigue. Joshua applied the brutal finish, but, up to that point, he had seemed a sad imitation of the boxer he had been in 2017.
Joshua's Aftermath Assessment
"That was not the finest performance," Joshua conceded. "The objective was to get Jake Paul, corner him and hurt him. 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 reached its target."
Joshua commended Paul's bravery but he added an excuse for his own stilted showing. "He faced a real fighter tonight that's had a fifteen-month hiatus," Joshua said, mentioning his last loss. "We shook off the rust, and I can't wait to head into 2026."
The Future: Faded Forces and Rising Stars
In the post-fight interview that followed, a jovial Joshua attempted a poor imitation of his domestic rival as he called for a scrap against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will probably get his wish, but that matchup comes much too late in their professional journeys. Both men are on the downward slope of the peak.
In stark contrast, the most interesting heavyweights in the world remain the Ukrainian master and Moses Itauma. Usyk is still the unquestioned ruler of the weight class, after defeating both Joshua and Fury twice. At the same time, Itauma is a rapidly ascending talent. The youthful British heavyweight would probably have required fewer than half the amount of three-minute periods that Joshua required to knock Paul into a suitably wowed stupor.
The Defeated Fighter's Unbowed Reaction
But the fans gets what the public desires, and that certainly means additional pitiful celebrity fights. Paul appeared truly proud and cocky to have had his jaw broken by a hammer-like right. In the early hours of Saturday morning, he posted an radiograph, with the pair of breaks highlighted in crimson.
That jokey nod to the Mexican superstar, a much superior fighter than Joshua but a equally faded presence, demonstrated that Paul's brazen audacity remains unbroken. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will soon locate someone else with whom he can earn north of $50 million.
While he was being interviewed, before leaving for the medical facility, Paul expelled a streak of blood onto the canvas. It was another bleak symbol of the night as Paul mangled blunt truth with blood-flecked bullshit and said: "I think my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A proper beating from one of the greatest to ever do it. I love this shit and I'm going to return and continue winning."
