🔗 Share this article

Jake Paul's jaw dropped wide open, his expression turning to huge glazed saucers as he collapsed to the canvas in stunned disbelief following a pulverising right hand from Anthony Joshua. It appeared as if Paul was attempting to say "Wow!" as the severity of the impact sank in to his rattled senses.

"The fans didn't spend money to see this crap," said the referee, summing up the sorry spectacle much more effectively than any observer else managed to.

Trapped in a corner of the ring midway through 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 punch that broke his jaw in two separate places, Paul was caught in an completely dazed moment.

So this is how it feels, and appears, to be hit hard by a real boxer, an Olympic gold medallist and former world heavyweight champion. "Wow" is indeed the appropriate term.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been sent to the floor, but the result of a proper punch ensured Paul could not get up and taunt his opponent before the referee waved the contest over. As blood began to trickle from his lips, and a dull ache spread through his jawbone, Paul at last grasped how difficult, grueling, and perilous boxing is at a respectable standard of competition.

A Far From Impressive Win for the Victor

Joshua, it should be stressed, was far from convincing amid the bedlam. After his empty victory, he made a throat-slitting gesture that suggested a clinical and deadly execution when, in truth, Joshua had appeared exasperated for most of the fight. Rather than exuding intimidation or displaying an iron certainty, Joshua had seemed hesitant and awkward for almost five stanzas.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a fundamental requirement in elite boxing, dictated the result. Lacking the stamina to escape any longer, and reduced to slipping to the canvas as often as he could for a breather, Paul was rendered defenseless by fatigue. Joshua delivered the vicious finish, but, until then, he had looked like a sad shadow of the fighter he had been in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Assessment

"That was not the finest display," Joshua admitted. "The end goal was to catch Jake Paul, corner him and do damage. That has been the plan, and that's what was on my thoughts. It took a bit longer than anticipated, but the right hand eventually found its target."

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

What Comes Next: Past Their Prime and New Talent

In the post-fight interview afterwards, a jovial Joshua tried out a poor imitation of his domestic rival as he demanded a fight against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will likely have his way, but that bout comes much too late in their professional journeys. Both fighters are on the downward slope of the hill.

In stark contrast, the most compelling big men in the world remain Oleksandr Usyk and the British prospect. Usyk remains the unquestioned ruler of the weight class, after defeating both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rapidly ascending talent. The youthful British heavyweight would probably have required fewer than half the number of rounds that Joshua required to knock Paul into a appropriately astonished state.

The Defeated Fighter's Defiant Reaction

But the fans gets what the public desires, and that undoubtedly means additional low-quality celebrity fights. Paul seemed genuinely satisfied and cocky to have had his jaw broken by a hammer-like right. In the wee hours of the next day, he shared an X-ray, with the two fractures highlighted in red.

That jokey nod to the Mexican superstar, a far greater boxer than Joshua but a equally faded presence, showed that Paul's comic chutzpah remains unbroken. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will soon locate another opponent with whom he can earn more than $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before leaving for the hospital, Paul spat a streak of blood onto the ring floor. It was one more bleak symbol of the night as Paul mixed blunt truth with gory bravado and said: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A nice little ass-whipping from one of the best to ever do it. I love this sport and I'm going to come back and keep on winning."