🔗 Share this article

Jake Paul's jaw dropped wide open, his eyes becoming wide, stunned circles as he sank to the mat in stunned disbelief after a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It appeared as if Paul was attempting to utter "Whoa!" as the force of the impact sank in to his scrambled senses.

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

Pinned in a corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could not retreat or hold on to Joshua's legs in a desperate clinch as the serious reality of the sweet science enveloped him. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the punch that broke his jaw in two separate places, Paul was lost in an utterly stunned moment.

So that is what it is like, 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 former YouTuber had been sent to the floor, but the consequences of a clean punch ensured Paul would not be able to get up and waggle his tongue defiantly before the official called the charade to a halt. As blood began to leak from his mouth, and a dull ache radiated through his jaw, Paul finally understood how hard, grueling, and dangerous boxing is at a respectable standard of professionalism.

A Far From Commanding Victory for Joshua

Joshua, it should be stressed, was far from convincing amid the bedlam. After his hollow victory, he performed a cut-throat motion that hinted at a precise and lethal finish when, in truth, Joshua had appeared exasperated for the majority of the contest. Rather than glowering with menace or displaying an iron certainty, Joshua had appeared hesitant and crude for almost five stanzas.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a basic essential in elite boxing, shaped the outcome. Without the gas to escape any longer, and reduced to falling to the canvas as often as he could for a rest, Paul was left defenseless by fatigue. Joshua delivered the vicious finish, but, until then, he had seemed a sad imitation of the fighter he was in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Assessment

"That was not the best display," 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 target."

Joshua praised Paul's courage but he offered an excuse for his own labored performance. "He faced a genuine competitor tonight that's had a 15-month layoff," Joshua said, mentioning his last loss. "We dusted off the rust, and I can't wait to roll into 2026."

What Comes Next: Faded Forces and Rising Stars

In the post-fight interview afterwards, a cheerful Joshua tried out a poor imitation of Tyson Fury as he demanded a fight against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will probably have his way, but that bout comes much too late in their careers. Both men are on the far side of the peak.

In contrast, the most interesting big men in the world are the Ukrainian master and Moses Itauma. Usyk remains the undoubted ruler of the division, after defeating both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rapidly ascending talent. The young British heavyweight would probably have required fewer than half the number of rounds that Joshua required to send Paul into a appropriately wowed state.

Paul's Defiant Reaction

But the fans receives what the public desires, and that undoubtedly means additional pitiful crossover fights. Paul seemed truly satisfied and brash to have had his mandible fractured by a hammer-like right. In the early hours of the next day, he shared an radiograph, with the two fractures marked in red.

That lighthearted nod to the Mexican superstar, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a equally faded force, showed that Paul's comic chutzpah is undented. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly find another opponent with whom he can earn north of $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before leaving for the hospital, Paul expelled a tracer of blood onto the canvas. It was another bleak symbol of the evening as Paul mangled harsh reality with blood-flecked bullshit and said: "I think my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A nice little ass-whipping from one of the greatest to ever do it. I love this sport and I'm going to return and keep on winning."