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Jake Paul's mouth gaped agape, his eyes becoming wide, stunned circles as he collapsed to the mat in shock and awe after a devastating right hand from the former champion. It appeared as if Paul was trying to say "Wow!" as the force of the blow registered to his scrambled senses.

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

Trapped in a corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could not retreat or cling to Joshua's legs in a desperate clinch as the gravity of boxing became clear. Instead, as he tried to absorb the shot that broke his jaw in two separate places, Paul was lost in an completely dazed moment.

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

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber 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 over. As blood began to trickle from his lips, and a dull ache radiated through his jaw, Paul at last grasped how difficult, grueling, and dangerous boxing is at a decent standard of competition.

A Far From Impressive Victory for the Victor

Anthony Joshua, it should be stressed, was far from convincing during the bedlam. After his empty victory, he performed a throat-slitting gesture that suggested a clinical and lethal finish when, in reality, Joshua had appeared exasperated for most of the contest. Instead of exuding intimidation or exhibiting an iron certainty, Joshua had appeared tentative and awkward for nearly five stanzas.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a basic essential in top-level boxing, shaped the result. Lacking the stamina to escape any longer, and reduced to falling to the canvas as often as he could for a breather, Paul was left helpless by fatigue. Joshua applied the brutal finish, but, up to that point, he had seemed a sad imitation of the boxer he had been in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Comments

"It wasn't the finest display," Joshua conceded. "The end goal was to catch 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 straight right finally reached its destination."

Joshua commended Paul's bravery but he added an explanation for his own stilted performance. "He faced a real fighter tonight that's had a 15-month hiatus," Joshua said, mentioning his last loss. "We dusted off the rust, and I am eager to roll into 2026."

The Future: Faded Forces and New Talent

In the press conference that followed, a jovial Joshua attempted a woeful imitation of Tyson Fury as he demanded a scrap against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will probably have his way, but that matchup comes much too late in their careers. Both men are on the far side of the hill.

In contrast, the most interesting big men in the world remain the Ukrainian master and Moses Itauma. Usyk remains the undoubted ruler of the division, having beaten both Joshua and Fury twice. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rising talent. The youthful British heavyweight would probably have needed less than half the amount of three-minute periods that Joshua required to send Paul into a appropriately astonished stupor.

Paul's Unbowed Response

But the public receives what the public desires, and that undoubtedly means more low-quality crossover contests. Paul seemed truly satisfied and brash to have had his mandible fractured by a sledgehammer right. In the wee hours of Saturday morning, he shared an radiograph, with the two fractures highlighted in crimson.

That lighthearted nod to the Mexican superstar, a far greater boxer than Joshua but a equally faded presence, demonstrated that Paul's comic chutzpah is undented. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly find another opponent with whom he can make north of $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before leaving for the hospital, Paul spat a streak of blood onto the canvas. It was one more grim symbol of the evening as Paul mangled harsh reality with blood-flecked bravado and stated: "I think my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A proper beating from one of the best to ever do it. I adore this shit and I'm going to return and keep on winning."