Jake Paul's jaw dropped wide open, his expression turning to wide, stunned circles as he sank to the canvas in stunned disbelief after a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It looked as if Paul was trying to say "Wow!" as the force of the impact registered to his rattled senses.
"The fans didn't spend money to see this rubbish," said the referee, encapsulating the sorry spectacle much more effectively than any observer else could.
Pinned 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 like a forlorn little boy as the gravity of boxing enveloped him. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the punch that fractured his mandible in two separate places, Paul was caught in an completely stunned moment.
So that is what it feels, and looks, to be struck cleanly by a genuine professional fighter, an Olympic champion and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is indeed the word.
It was the fourth time the social media star had been knocked down, but the result of a clean power shot ensured Paul could not rise and taunt his opponent before the referee called the charade to a halt. As blood began to leak from his mouth, and a numbing throb spread through his jaw, Paul at last grasped how difficult, exhausting, and dangerous boxing is at a respectable level of professionalism.
A Far From Impressive Win for the Victor
Joshua, it must be noted, was not impressive during the bedlam. After his hollow victory, he made a cut-throat motion that suggested a clinical and deadly finish when, in truth, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for the majority of the fight. Rather than exuding intimidation or displaying an iron certainty, Joshua had appeared hesitant and awkward for nearly five stanzas.
Paul's poor fitness, which is a basic essential in top-level boxing, dictated the outcome. Lacking the stamina to escape any more, and resorting to slipping to the deck as frequently as he could for a breather, Paul was rendered helpless by exhaustion. Joshua applied the brutal finish, but, up to that point, he had looked like a mournful imitation of the boxer he had been in 2017.
Joshua's Post-Fight Assessment
"It wasn't the finest performance," Joshua admitted. "The end goal was to get Jake Paul, corner him and do damage. 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 found its destination."
Joshua praised Paul's courage but he offered an excuse for his own stilted showing. "He faced a real fighter tonight that's had a 15-month layoff," Joshua said, mentioning his previous defeat. "We dusted off the rust, and I am eager to roll into 2026."
The Future: Faded Forces and Rising Stars
In the press conference that followed, a jovial Joshua tried out a poor imitation of Tyson Fury as he called for a fight against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will likely have his way, but that bout comes far too late in their careers. Both men are on the far side of the hill.
In contrast, the most compelling heavyweights in the world are the Ukrainian master and Moses Itauma. Usyk is still the unquestioned king of the weight class, after defeating both Joshua and Fury twice. At the same time, Itauma is a rising talent. The young British heavyweight would probably have needed less than half the number of rounds that Joshua required to send Paul into a suitably astonished stupor.
Paul's Defiant Reaction
But the public receives what the public desires, and that certainly means additional pitiful crossover contests. Paul appeared genuinely proud and cocky to have had his jaw broken by a sledgehammer right. In the early hours of Saturday morning, he posted an X-ray, with the pair of breaks highlighted in crimson.
That jokey reference to the Mexican superstar, a much superior fighter than Joshua but a equally faded force, demonstrated that Paul's brazen audacity 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 departing to the medical facility, Paul expelled a tracer of blood onto the canvas. It was one more bleak summary of the night as Paul mangled blunt truth with blood-flecked bravado and said: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A proper beating from one of the best to ever step in the ring. I love this sport and I'm going to come back and continue winning."