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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's jaw dropped agape, his eyes becoming wide, stunned circles as he collapsed to the canvas in shock and awe after a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It looked as if Paul was attempting to say "Whoa!" as the force of the impact registered to his rattled senses.

"The audience didn't spend money to see this crap," snapped the referee, summing up the dismal affair much more succinctly than any observer else could.

Pinned in a neutral corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could no longer run or cling to Joshua's legs in a desperate clinch as the gravity of the sweet science enveloped him. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the shot that fractured his mandible in two distinct locations, Paul was caught in an utterly stunned moment.

So this is how it is like, and looks, to be hit hard by a genuine professional fighter, an Olympic gold medallist and former world heavyweight champion. "Wow" is certainly the appropriate term.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been sent to the floor, but the consequences of a clean power shot ensured Paul could not rise and waggle his tongue defiantly before the official waved the contest to a halt. As blood began to trickle from his mouth, and a dull ache spread through his jawbone, Paul finally understood how hard, grueling, and perilous boxing is at a decent standard of competition.

An Unimpressive Commanding Win for Joshua

Anthony Joshua, it should be stressed, was not impressive 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 most of the contest. Instead of exuding intimidation or exhibiting an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had appeared hesitant and crude for almost five stanzas.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a fundamental requirement in elite boxing, dictated the result. Without the gas to flee any longer, and resorting to falling to the deck as frequently as he could for a breather, Paul was left helpless by exhaustion. Joshua delivered the brutal ending, but, up to that point, he had looked like a sad shadow of the boxer he was in 2017.

The Winner's Aftermath Comments

"It wasn't the best performance," Joshua conceded. "The objective was to catch Jake Paul, corner him 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 right hand finally found its destination."

Joshua praised Paul's courage but he added an excuse for his own labored performance. "He came up against a genuine competitor tonight that's had a fifteen-month hiatus," Joshua said, mentioning his last loss. "We shook off the cobwebs, and I can't wait to roll into 2026."

What Comes Next: Faded Forces and New Talent

In the press conference afterwards, a jovial Joshua tried out a poor imitation of Tyson Fury as he demanded a scrap against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will likely have his way, but that matchup comes much too late in their professional journeys. Both men are on the downward slope of the peak.

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

Paul's Unbowed Response

But the public receives what the public wants, and that undoubtedly means additional low-quality crossover fights. Paul seemed truly proud and cocky to have had his jaw broken by a sledgehammer right. In the wee hours of the next day, he shared an radiograph, with the two fractures highlighted in crimson.

That jokey reference to the Mexican superstar, a much superior boxer than Joshua but a equally diminished force, showed that Paul's brazen audacity is undented. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will soon locate another opponent with whom he can make north of $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before leaving for the hospital, Paul spat a tracer of blood onto the ring floor. It was one more grim summary of the evening as Paul mangled harsh reality with gory bravado and said: "I think my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A nice little beating from one of the best to ever step in the ring. I love this shit and I'm going to come back and continue winning."