The YouTuber-turned-fighter's jaw dropped agape, his expression turning to wide, stunned circles as he collapsed to the canvas in stunned disbelief following a devastating right hand from the former champion. It looked as if Paul was trying to say "Wow!" as the severity of the impact sank in to his rattled senses.
"The fans didn't pay to see this garbage," snapped the referee, summing up the sorry spectacle far more effectively than any observer else managed to.
Trapped in a neutral corner of the ring midway through 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 became clear. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the punch that fractured his mandible in two separate places, Paul was caught in an completely dazed moment.
So this is how it is like, and looks, to be struck cleanly by a real professional fighter, an Olympic champion and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is indeed the word.
It was the fourth time the social media star had been sent to the floor, but the result of a proper punch meant Paul would not be able to rise and waggle his tongue defiantly before the referee called the charade over. As blood began to leak from his mouth, and a dull ache radiated through his jawbone, Paul at last understood how hard, grueling, and perilous boxing is at a respectable level of professionalism.
An Unimpressive Impressive Win for the Victor
Anthony Joshua, it must be noted, was far from convincing during the bedlam. After his empty victory, he performed a cut-throat motion that hinted at a precise and deadly execution when, in truth, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for most of the contest. Instead of glowering with menace or exhibiting an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had seemed hesitant and crude for nearly five rounds.
Paul's poor fitness, which is a fundamental requirement in top-level boxing, shaped the result. Without the gas to escape any more, and resorting to slipping to the deck as frequently as he could for a rest, Paul was rendered helpless by exhaustion. Joshua applied the vicious ending, but, up to that point, he had seemed a mournful shadow of the boxer he had been in 2017.
The Winner's Post-Fight Assessment
"It wasn't the best performance," Joshua conceded. "The end goal was to catch Jake Paul, pin him down and do damage. That has been the plan, and that's what was on my mind. It took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand finally found its destination."
Joshua commended Paul's courage but he added an explanation for his own labored performance. "He came up against a genuine competitor tonight that's had a 15-month hiatus," Joshua said, mentioning his last defeat. "We dusted off the cobwebs, and I am eager to head into 2026."
What Comes Next: Faded Forces and New Talent
In the post-fight interview afterwards, a jovial Joshua tried out a woeful imitation of Tyson Fury as he called for a fight against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will likely get his wish, but that matchup comes far too late in their careers. Both fighters are on the far side of the peak.
In stark contrast, the most compelling heavyweights in the world are Oleksandr Usyk and the British prospect. Usyk is still the unquestioned king of the division, having beaten both Joshua and Fury twice. At the same time, Itauma is a rising talent. The young British heavyweight likely have required fewer than half the number of rounds that Joshua required to send Paul into a suitably wowed state.
The Defeated Fighter's Unbowed Response
But the fans gets what the public desires, and that undoubtedly means additional low-quality celebrity contests. Paul seemed genuinely proud and brash to have had his jaw broken by a sledgehammer right. In the wee hours of the next day, he shared an radiograph, with the pair of breaks marked in red.
That jokey nod to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a far greater boxer than Joshua but a similarly faded presence, demonstrated that Paul's brazen audacity is unbroken. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will soon find someone else with whom he can make more than $50 million.
During his in-ring interview, before leaving for the medical facility, Paul expelled a tracer of blood onto the ring floor. It was another grim 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 step in the ring. I adore this sport and I'm going to return and keep on winning."
