🔗 Share this article

The YouTuber-turned-fighter's jaw dropped wide open, his eyes becoming wide, stunned circles as he collapsed to the mat in shock and awe following a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It looked as if Paul was attempting to say "Wow!" as the force of the blow sank in to his rattled senses.

"The audience didn't pay to see this rubbish," snapped the referee, encapsulating the sorry affair far more succinctly than any observer else could.

Trapped in a neutral corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could no longer run or hold on to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the gravity of boxing became clear. Instead, as he tried to absorb the shot that fractured his mandible in two separate places, Paul was caught in an completely dazed moment.

So that is what it is like, and appears, to be hit hard by a real professional fighter, an Olympic gold medallist and former world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is certainly the word.

It was the fourth time the social media star had been knocked down, but the consequences of a proper punch ensured Paul would not be able to get up and taunt his opponent before the official waved the contest over. As blood began to trickle from his lips, and a dull ache spread through his jaw, Paul finally grasped how difficult, grueling, and perilous boxing is at a decent standard of professionalism.

An Unimpressive Impressive Victory for Joshua

Anthony Joshua, it must be noted, was far from convincing amid the chaos. After his empty victory, he performed a throat-slitting gesture that hinted at a clinical and deadly finish when, in reality, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for the majority of the fight. Instead of exuding intimidation or displaying an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had seemed hesitant and awkward for almost five rounds.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a basic essential in elite boxing, dictated the outcome. Without the gas to escape any more, and reduced to slipping to the deck as often as he could for a breather, Paul was left helpless by fatigue. Joshua delivered the brutal finish, but, until then, he had looked like a mournful imitation of the fighter he was in 2017.

Joshua's Aftermath Assessment

"It wasn't the finest performance," Joshua conceded. "The end goal was to catch Jake Paul, corner him and hurt him. That has been the request, and that's what was on my thoughts. It took a little more time than anticipated, but the right hand finally reached its destination."

Joshua praised Paul's courage but he added an excuse for his own labored performance. "He faced a genuine competitor tonight that's had a 15-month layoff," Joshua said, mentioning his last loss. "We shook off the rust, and I am eager to head into 2026."

What Comes Next: Faded Forces and Rising Stars

In the post-fight interview afterwards, a jovial Joshua attempted a poor impression of his domestic rival as he demanded a scrap against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will probably get his wish, but that bout comes far too late in their professional journeys. Both men are on the downward slope of the peak.

In stark contrast, the most compelling big men in the world remain the Ukrainian master and the British prospect. Usyk remains the undoubted ruler 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 less than half the amount of rounds that Joshua required to knock Paul into a appropriately astonished state.

The Defeated Fighter's Defiant Reaction

But the public receives what the public desires, and that certainly means more pitiful crossover fights. Paul seemed truly proud and cocky to have had his jaw broken by a sledgehammer right. In the early hours of the next day, he posted an X-ray, with the two fractures highlighted in red.

That jokey reference to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a far greater boxer than Joshua but a similarly diminished force, demonstrated that Paul's brazen audacity remains undented. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly find someone else with whom he can make north of $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before leaving for the medical facility, Paul spat a tracer of blood onto the ring floor. It was another bleak symbol of the evening as Paul mixed blunt truth with gory bravado and stated: "I think my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A proper ass-whipping from one of the best to ever do it. I adore this shit and I'm going to come back and keep on winning."