🔗 Share this article

Jake Paul's jaw dropped wide open, his expression turning to huge glazed saucers as he collapsed to the canvas in stunned disbelief after a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It looked as if Paul was attempting to say "Wow!" as the force of the impact registered to his rattled senses.

"The fans didn't pay to see this crap," said the referee, encapsulating the sorry spectacle much more effectively than any observer else managed to.

Trapped in a neutral corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could no longer run or cling to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the serious reality of the sweet science enveloped him. Instead, as he tried to absorb the shot that fractured his mandible in two distinct locations, Paul was lost in an completely stunned moment.

So this is how it feels, and appears, to be struck cleanly by a genuine boxer, an Olympic champion and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is certainly the appropriate term.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been sent to the floor, but the result of a proper punch ensured Paul could not get up and waggle his tongue defiantly before the referee called the contest over. As blood began to leak from his mouth, and a numbing throb radiated through his jawbone, Paul at last grasped how hard, exhausting, and dangerous boxing is at a decent level of competition.

An Unimpressive Commanding Win for Joshua

Anthony Joshua, it must be noted, was far from convincing amid the chaos. After his empty victory, he made a throat-slitting gesture that suggested a clinical and deadly finish when, in truth, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for the majority of the fight. Rather than glowering with menace or displaying an iron certainty, Joshua had appeared hesitant and crude for nearly five stanzas.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a fundamental requirement in top-level boxing, shaped the outcome. Lacking the stamina to flee any more, and reduced to slipping to the canvas as frequently as he could for a rest, Paul was rendered defenseless by exhaustion. Joshua applied the vicious finish, but, up to that point, he had looked like a sad imitation of the fighter he was in 2017.

The Winner's Post-Fight Assessment

"It wasn't the best display," Joshua admitted. "The end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and do damage. That has been the plan, and that's what was on my thoughts. It took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand eventually reached its target."

Joshua commended Paul's bravery but he added an explanation for his own labored showing. "He faced a genuine competitor tonight that's had a 15-month hiatus," Joshua said, referencing his previous loss. "We dusted off the cobwebs, and I am eager to roll into 2026."

What Comes Next: Past Their Prime and Rising Stars

In the post-fight interview that followed, a cheerful Joshua attempted a poor imitation of Tyson Fury 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 hill.

In stark contrast, the most interesting big men in the world remain Oleksandr Usyk and Moses Itauma. Usyk is still the unquestioned ruler of the division, after defeating both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rapidly ascending force. The young British heavyweight would probably have needed fewer than half the amount of three-minute periods that Joshua needed to send Paul into a appropriately astonished state.

Paul's Unbowed Response

But the public receives what the public desires, and that undoubtedly means additional low-quality celebrity contests. Paul seemed genuinely satisfied and brash to have had his jaw broken by a hammer-like right. In the early hours of Saturday morning, he shared an X-ray, with the pair of breaks marked in red.

That lighthearted reference to the Mexican superstar, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a similarly diminished presence, demonstrated that Paul's brazen audacity is undented. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will soon locate someone else with whom he can make north of $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before departing to the medical facility, Paul expelled a streak of blood onto the ring floor. It was one more bleak symbol of the evening as Paul mixed harsh reality with gory bravado and said: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A proper ass-whipping from one of the greatest to ever do it. I adore this sport and I'm going to return and keep on winning."