🔗 Share this article

The YouTuber-turned-fighter's mouth gaped wide open, his eyes becoming huge glazed saucers as he collapsed to the canvas in stunned disbelief following a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It looked as if Paul was attempting to say "Wow!" as the severity of the blow sank in to his rattled senses.

"Those watching didn't pay to see this crap," snapped the referee, summing up the dismal spectacle far more succinctly than any observer else could.

Trapped in a neutral corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could not run or cling to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the gravity of boxing enveloped him. Instead, as he tried to absorb the shot that broke his jaw in two separate places, Paul was caught in an utterly dazed moment.

So this is how it feels, and appears, to be struck cleanly by a real boxer, an Olympic gold medallist and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Wow" is indeed the word.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been knocked down, but the result of a clean power shot meant Paul could not rise and taunt his opponent before the official called the charade to a halt. As blood began to leak from his mouth, and a numbing throb radiated through his jaw, Paul at last grasped how difficult, grueling, and perilous boxing is at a decent standard of competition.

An Unimpressive Impressive Victory for the Victor

Anthony Joshua, it must be noted, was far from convincing during the chaos. After his hollow victory, he made a throat-slitting gesture that suggested a clinical and lethal execution when, in truth, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for most of the contest. Instead of glowering with menace or exhibiting an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had seemed hesitant and crude for almost five stanzas.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a fundamental requirement in top-level boxing, shaped the outcome. Lacking the stamina to escape any longer, and resorting to slipping to the deck as often as he could for a breather, Paul was rendered helpless by fatigue. Joshua applied the brutal finish, but, until then, he had seemed a sad shadow of the boxer he was in 2017.

Joshua's Aftermath Comments

"It wasn't the finest display," Joshua conceded. "The objective was to catch Jake Paul, pin him down and do damage. That has been the plan, and that's what was on my mind. It took a bit longer than expected, but the straight right eventually reached its target."

Joshua commended Paul's courage but he added an excuse for his own stilted showing. "He came up against a real fighter tonight that's had a fifteen-month layoff," Joshua said, mentioning his previous defeat. "We shook off the rust, and I can't wait to roll into 2026."

The Future: Faded Forces and New Talent

In the post-fight interview afterwards, a jovial Joshua tried out a poor imitation of Tyson Fury as he demanded a fight against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will likely have his way, but that matchup comes much too late in their professional journeys. Both fighters are on the far side of the hill.

In contrast, the most interesting heavyweights in the world remain 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 youthful British heavyweight would probably have required fewer than half the number of three-minute periods that Joshua required to send Paul into a suitably wowed state.

The Defeated Fighter's Unbowed Response

But the public receives what the public wants, and that undoubtedly means more low-quality celebrity fights. Paul appeared genuinely satisfied and cocky to have had his jaw broken by a hammer-like right. In the early hours of the next day, he posted an radiograph, with the two fractures highlighted in crimson.

That jokey reference to the Mexican superstar, a much superior boxer than Joshua but a similarly faded presence, showed that Paul's comic chutzpah is unbroken. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will soon locate another opponent with whom he can earn north of $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before departing to the medical facility, Paul spat a streak of blood onto the ring floor. It was one more grim summary of the night as Paul mixed harsh reality with blood-flecked bravado and said: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A nice little beating from one of the best to ever do it. I love this shit and I'm going to return and continue winning."