The YouTuber-turned-fighter's mouth gaped agape, his expression turning to wide, stunned circles as he collapsed to the mat in shock and awe after a devastating right hand from Anthony Joshua. It appeared as if Paul was attempting to utter "Whoa!" as the force of the impact sank in to his scrambled senses.
"Those watching didn't spend money to see this crap," said the referee, summing up the dismal affair far more effectively than anyone else managed to.
Pinned in a neutral corner of the ring midway through 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 punch that broke his jaw in two distinct locations, Paul was lost in an utterly dazed moment.
So that is what it feels, and looks, to be hit hard by a genuine boxer, an Olympic champion and former world heavyweight champion. "Wow" 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 punch ensured Paul could not get up and taunt his opponent before the official waved the charade over. As blood began to trickle from his lips, and a dull ache spread through his jaw, Paul finally grasped how hard, grueling, and dangerous boxing is at a decent standard of professionalism.
A Far From Commanding Win for Joshua
Anthony Joshua, it should be stressed, was far from convincing during the chaos. After his hollow victory, he performed a throat-slitting gesture that hinted at a precise and lethal finish when, in truth, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for most of the contest. Instead of glowering with menace or displaying 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, shaped the result. Lacking the stamina 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 brutal ending, but, until then, he had seemed a sad imitation of the fighter he had been in 2017.
Joshua's Aftermath Assessment
"It wasn't the best performance," Joshua admitted. "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 bit longer than anticipated, but the straight right eventually found its destination."
Joshua praised Paul's courage but he added an explanation for his own stilted performance. "He came up against a real fighter tonight that's had a fifteen-month layoff," Joshua said, referencing his last loss. "We shook off the rust, and I am eager to roll into 2026."
What Comes Next: Faded Forces and New Talent
In the post-fight interview that followed, a jovial Joshua tried out a poor imitation of Tyson Fury as he demanded a fight against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will likely get his wish, but that bout comes far too late in their professional journeys. Both fighters are on the far side of the hill.
In stark contrast, the most compelling big men in the world are Oleksandr Usyk and the British prospect. Usyk remains the unquestioned king of the weight class, after defeating both Joshua and Fury twice. At the same time, Itauma is a rapidly ascending force. The young British heavyweight would probably have needed less than half the amount of rounds that Joshua required to knock Paul into a suitably wowed state.
The Defeated Fighter's Unbowed Response
But the fans gets what the public desires, and that certainly means more low-quality crossover fights. Paul seemed genuinely satisfied 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 lighthearted reference to the Mexican superstar, a much superior fighter than Joshua but a similarly diminished presence, demonstrated that Paul's comic chutzpah remains unbroken. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will soon locate another opponent with whom he can earn more than $50 million.
While he was being interviewed, before departing to the medical facility, Paul expelled a tracer of blood onto the canvas. It was another grim symbol of the evening as Paul mixed harsh reality with gory bravado and stated: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A nice little beating from one of the greatest to ever do it. I love this shit and I'm going to return and continue winning."
