🔗 Share this article

The YouTuber-turned-fighter's mouth gaped agape, his eyes becoming wide, stunned circles as he sank to the canvas in shock and awe after a devastating right hand from Anthony Joshua. It looked as if Paul was attempting to say "Whoa!" as the severity of the blow sank in to his rattled senses.

"The audience didn't spend money to see this crap," snapped the referee, encapsulating the sorry spectacle far more effectively than any observer else managed to.

Trapped in a 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 serious reality of boxing became clear. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the shot that fractured his mandible in two separate places, Paul was lost in an completely dazed moment.

So this is how it is like, and looks, to be struck cleanly by a genuine boxer, an Olympic gold medallist and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Wow" is indeed the appropriate term.

It was the fourth time the social media star had been sent to the floor, but the consequences of a proper power shot meant Paul would not be able to get up and taunt his opponent before the referee called the charade to a halt. As blood began to trickle from his lips, and a numbing throb radiated through his jawbone, Paul finally understood how difficult, grueling, and dangerous boxing is at a decent standard of professionalism.

A Far From Commanding Victory for the Victor

Joshua, it must be noted, was not impressive amid the chaos. After his empty victory, he made a cut-throat motion that suggested a clinical and deadly finish when, in truth, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for most of the fight. Instead of exuding intimidation or displaying an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had seemed hesitant and crude for nearly five stanzas.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a fundamental requirement in elite boxing, shaped the outcome. Without the gas to flee any more, and resorting to falling to the canvas as frequently as he could for a rest, Paul was rendered helpless by fatigue. Joshua delivered the vicious finish, but, until then, he had seemed a mournful imitation of the boxer he was in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Assessment

"That was not the finest display," Joshua conceded. "The end goal was to get Jake Paul, corner him and hurt him. That has been the request, and that's what was on my mind. It took a bit longer than anticipated, but the right hand eventually found its target."

Joshua praised Paul's bravery but he offered an excuse for his own stilted showing. "He faced a genuine competitor tonight that's had a fifteen-month hiatus," Joshua said, referencing his previous loss. "We shook off the cobwebs, and I am eager to roll into 2026."

What Comes Next: Faded Forces and New Talent

In the post-fight interview afterwards, a cheerful Joshua attempted a poor imitation of his domestic rival as he demanded a scrap against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will likely get his wish, but that bout comes much too late in their careers. Both fighters are on the downward slope of the hill.

In contrast, the most compelling big men in the world remain the Ukrainian master and Moses Itauma. Usyk is still the unquestioned ruler of the division, after defeating both Joshua and Fury twice. At the same time, Itauma is a rising force. The youthful British heavyweight likely have needed less than half the amount of three-minute periods that Joshua required to knock Paul into a appropriately wowed state.

The Defeated Fighter's Defiant Reaction

But the public receives what the public wants, and that undoubtedly means more pitiful crossover fights. Paul seemed truly proud and brash to have had his mandible fractured by a hammer-like right. In the wee hours of Saturday morning, he shared an radiograph, with the pair of breaks highlighted in crimson.

That jokey nod to the Mexican superstar, a much superior boxer than Joshua but a similarly diminished presence, showed that Paul's brazen audacity is unbroken. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly locate another opponent with whom he can make more than $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before departing to the hospital, Paul expelled a tracer of blood onto the canvas. It was another bleak summary of the night as Paul mixed harsh reality with gory bullshit and stated: "I think my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A proper beating from one of the greatest to ever do it. I love this shit and I'm going to come back and keep on winning."