🔗 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 stunned disbelief after a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It looked as if Paul was attempting to say "Whoa!" as the force of the blow registered to his scrambled senses.

"The audience didn't spend money to see this crap," said the referee, summing up the dismal spectacle much more effectively than anyone else managed to.

Pinned in a corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could not retreat or cling to Joshua's legs in a desperate clinch as the serious reality of boxing enveloped him. Instead, as he tried to absorb the shot that broke his jaw in two separate places, Paul was caught in an completely stunned moment.

So that is what it is like, and appears, to be struck cleanly by a genuine professional fighter, an Olympic gold medallist and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is certainly the word.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been sent to the floor, but the result of a proper punch ensured Paul would not be able to rise and taunt his opponent before the official waved the contest to a halt. As blood began to trickle from his lips, and a dull ache spread through his jaw, Paul at last understood how difficult, grueling, and dangerous boxing is at a respectable level of competition.

An Unimpressive Impressive Victory for the Victor

Joshua, it must be noted, was far from convincing during the chaos. After his hollow victory, he made a cut-throat motion that suggested a clinical and deadly execution when, in truth, Joshua had appeared exasperated for the majority of the contest. Rather than exuding intimidation or exhibiting an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had appeared hesitant and crude for nearly five rounds.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a basic essential in top-level boxing, dictated the result. Without the gas to escape any longer, and reduced to falling to the deck as often as he could for a breather, Paul was left helpless by fatigue. Joshua applied the brutal finish, but, up to that point, he had looked like a sad shadow of the fighter he had been in 2017.

The Winner's Aftermath Assessment

"It wasn't the best performance," Joshua conceded. "The objective was to catch Jake Paul, corner him and do damage. That has been the request, and that's what was on my mind. It took a little more time than expected, but the straight right finally reached its target."

Joshua praised Paul's bravery but he added an excuse for his own stilted showing. "He came up against a real fighter tonight that's had a 15-month layoff," Joshua said, referencing his previous defeat. "We dusted off the cobwebs, and I can't wait to head into 2026."

What Comes Next: Past Their Prime and New Talent

In the press conference that followed, a jovial Joshua tried out a woeful impression of his domestic rival as he called for a fight against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will probably have his way, but that matchup comes much too late in their careers. Both men are on the far side of the hill.

In contrast, the most interesting big men in the world remain Oleksandr Usyk and the British prospect. Usyk remains the unquestioned king of the division, having beaten both Joshua and Fury twice. At the same time, Itauma is a rapidly ascending force. The youthful British heavyweight likely have required fewer than half the amount of three-minute periods that Joshua needed to knock Paul into a suitably wowed stupor.

Paul's Unbowed Reaction

But the fans receives what the public wants, and that certainly means more low-quality crossover contests. Paul appeared genuinely 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 marked in crimson.

That lighthearted nod to the Mexican superstar, a much superior boxer than Joshua but a similarly faded presence, demonstrated that Paul's comic chutzpah is unbroken. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly locate someone else with whom he can earn 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 night as Paul mangled harsh reality with gory bravado and stated: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A nice little ass-whipping 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."