Joshua & Paul Produce a Regrettable Display and the Most Troubling Aspect is There's More to Come

Jake Paul's mouth gaped agape, his eyes becoming huge glazed saucers as he collapsed to the mat in shock and awe after a devastating right hand from Anthony Joshua. It appeared as if Paul was attempting to utter "Whoa!" as the severity of the impact registered to his rattled senses.

Pinned in a neutral corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could no longer retreat or hold on to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the gravity of boxing became clear. Instead, as he tried to absorb the punch that broke his jaw in two distinct locations, Paul was lost in an utterly stunned moment.

So this is how it is like, and appears, to be struck cleanly by a real boxer, an Olympic champion and former 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 result of a proper punch ensured Paul would not be able to rise and waggle his tongue defiantly before the referee called the contest over. As blood began to leak from his mouth, and a dull ache radiated through his jawbone, Paul finally grasped how hard, grueling, and dangerous boxing is at a decent standard of professionalism.

An Unimpressive Impressive Victory for Joshua

Joshua, it should be stressed, was not impressive amid the bedlam. After his empty victory, he performed a cut-throat motion that hinted at a precise and deadly execution when, in truth, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for the majority of the contest. Instead of glowering with menace or displaying an iron certainty, Joshua had appeared hesitant and awkward for nearly five rounds.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a basic essential in elite boxing, shaped the result. Lacking the stamina to escape any longer, and reduced to falling to the deck as often as he could for a rest, Paul was rendered helpless by fatigue. Joshua applied the vicious ending, but, until then, he had looked like a mournful imitation of the boxer he had been in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Assessment

"It wasn't the best performance," Joshua admitted. "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 thoughts. It took a bit longer than anticipated, but the right hand finally found its destination."

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

What Comes Next: Past Their Prime and Rising Stars

In the post-fight interview that followed, a jovial Joshua attempted a woeful impression of Tyson Fury as he demanded a scrap against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will likely get his wish, but that bout comes far too late in their careers. Both fighters are on the downward slope of the hill.

In stark contrast, the most interesting heavyweights in the world remain Oleksandr Usyk and Moses Itauma. Usyk is still the unquestioned ruler of the division, having beaten both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. 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 knock Paul into a suitably astonished state.

Paul's Unbowed Reaction

But the public gets what the public wants, and that certainly means additional pitiful celebrity contests. Paul appeared genuinely satisfied and cocky to have had his jaw broken by a hammer-like right. In the wee hours of Saturday morning, he shared an X-ray, with the two fractures highlighted in crimson.

That lighthearted nod to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a much superior fighter than Joshua but a similarly diminished force, showed that Paul's brazen audacity remains unbroken. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will soon locate another opponent with whom he can make north of $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before leaving for the medical facility, Paul expelled a tracer of blood onto the ring floor. It was another bleak symbol of the night as Paul mangled harsh reality with blood-flecked bullshit and stated: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A proper beating from one of the greatest to ever step in the ring. I love this shit and I'm going to come back and continue winning."