Jake Paul's mouth gaped wide open, his eyes becoming huge glazed saucers as he sank to the canvas in stunned disbelief after a pulverising right hand from Anthony Joshua. It appeared as if Paul was trying to say "Wow!" as the force of the blow sank in to his scrambled senses.
"The audience didn't spend money to see this rubbish," snapped the referee, encapsulating the sorry spectacle much more effectively than anyone else managed to.
Trapped in a neutral corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could not run or hold on to Joshua's legs in a desperate clinch as the gravity of boxing enveloped him. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the shot that fractured his mandible in two distinct locations, Paul was lost in an completely stunned moment.
So this is how it is like, and looks, 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 social media star had been sent to the floor, but the result of a clean power shot ensured Paul could not get up and taunt his opponent before the official called the contest over. As blood began to trickle from his lips, and a numbing throb spread through his jaw, Paul finally understood how difficult, grueling, and dangerous boxing is at a decent standard of professionalism.
An Unimpressive Impressive Win for Joshua
Anthony Joshua, it should be stressed, was not impressive during the bedlam. After his empty victory, he made a cut-throat motion that hinted at a clinical and lethal execution when, in truth, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for most of the contest. Instead of exuding intimidation or displaying an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had appeared hesitant and crude for nearly five stanzas.
Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a basic essential in top-level boxing, dictated the outcome. Lacking the stamina to flee any more, and resorting to falling to the canvas as often as he could for a breather, Paul was rendered helpless by fatigue. Joshua delivered the brutal finish, but, until then, he had seemed a mournful shadow of the fighter he had been in 2017.
The Winner's Aftermath Comments
"That was not the best display," Joshua admitted. "The objective 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 right hand eventually reached its destination."
Joshua commended Paul's bravery but he added an excuse for his own labored showing. "He faced a genuine competitor tonight that's had a fifteen-month hiatus," Joshua said, referencing his last loss. "We shook 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 afterwards, a jovial Joshua tried out a woeful imitation of his domestic rival as he demanded a fight against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will probably get his wish, but that bout comes far too late in their careers. Both fighters are on the downward slope of the peak.
In contrast, the most compelling big men in the world remain Oleksandr Usyk and the British prospect. Usyk is still the unquestioned ruler of the weight class, having beaten both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. At the same time, Itauma is a rising force. The youthful British heavyweight would probably have needed less than half the number of three-minute periods that Joshua required to send Paul into a appropriately astonished stupor.
The Defeated Fighter's Unbowed Reaction
But the fans gets what the public wants, and that undoubtedly means more low-quality celebrity contests. Paul appeared genuinely proud and cocky 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 reference to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a far greater boxer than Joshua but a similarly diminished force, showed that Paul's brazen audacity remains unbroken. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will soon find another opponent with whom he can earn north of $50 million.
During his in-ring interview, before leaving for the hospital, Paul spat a streak of blood onto the ring floor. It was another bleak summary of the evening as Paul mangled blunt truth with gory bullshit and stated: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A nice little beating from one of the best to ever step in the ring. I adore this shit and I'm going to return and continue winning."
