🔗 Share this article

Jake Paul's mouth gaped agape, his eyes becoming wide, stunned circles as he sank to the mat in shock and awe following a devastating right hand from Anthony Joshua. It looked as if Paul was trying to say "Wow!" as the force of the blow sank in to his scrambled senses.

"Those watching didn't spend money to see this crap," snapped the referee, encapsulating the dismal affair far more succinctly than any observer else managed to.

Trapped in a neutral corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could not run or cling to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the gravity of the sweet science enveloped him. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the shot that broke his jaw in two distinct locations, Paul was caught in an completely stunned moment.

So this is how it is like, and looks, to be hit hard by a genuine boxer, an Olympic champion and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is certainly the word.

It was the fourth time the social media star had been sent to the floor, but the consequences of a clean power shot meant Paul would not be able to rise and waggle his tongue defiantly before the official waved the contest over. As blood began to trickle from his lips, and a numbing throb radiated through his jawbone, Paul finally understood how difficult, grueling, and dangerous boxing is at a decent level of competition.

A Far From Impressive Win for Joshua

Anthony Joshua, it should be stressed, was not impressive during the bedlam. After his empty victory, he performed a throat-slitting gesture that suggested a precise and lethal finish when, in reality, Joshua had appeared exasperated for most of the fight. Rather than exuding intimidation or displaying an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had seemed hesitant and crude for almost five rounds.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a fundamental requirement in top-level boxing, shaped the result. Without the gas to escape any longer, and reduced to falling to the canvas as often as he could for a breather, Paul was rendered helpless by fatigue. Joshua delivered the vicious ending, but, until then, he had seemed a mournful shadow of the fighter he was in 2017.

Joshua's Aftermath Assessment

"It wasn't the best display," Joshua conceded. "The end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and hurt him. That has been the request, and that's what was on my thoughts. It took a bit longer than anticipated, but the straight right eventually found its target."

Joshua commended Paul's courage but he offered an excuse for his own labored showing. "He faced a genuine competitor tonight that's had a fifteen-month layoff," Joshua said, mentioning his previous defeat. "We shook off the cobwebs, and I can't wait to head into 2026."

What Comes Next: Faded Forces and Rising Stars

In the post-fight interview afterwards, a cheerful Joshua attempted a woeful imitation of Tyson Fury as he called for a fight 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 far side of the hill.

In stark contrast, the most interesting heavyweights in the world are the Ukrainian master and Moses Itauma. Usyk remains the unquestioned ruler of the division, after defeating both Joshua and Fury twice. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rapidly ascending talent. The youthful British heavyweight likely have needed fewer than half the amount of rounds that Joshua required to knock Paul into a suitably astonished state.

Paul's Unbowed Response

But the fans gets what the public desires, and that undoubtedly means more low-quality crossover contests. Paul seemed truly proud and brash to have had his mandible fractured by a sledgehammer right. In the early hours of the next day, he shared an X-ray, with the pair of breaks highlighted in crimson.

That lighthearted nod to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a equally faded presence, showed that Paul's brazen audacity remains undented. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly locate another opponent with whom he can make more than $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before leaving for the medical facility, Paul spat a tracer of blood onto the canvas. It was one more bleak summary of the evening as Paul mixed harsh reality with blood-flecked bullshit and said: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A proper beating from one of the best to ever step in the ring. I love this shit and I'm going to come back and continue winning."