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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's mouth gaped wide open, his eyes becoming huge glazed saucers as he sank to the canvas in shock and awe following a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It appeared as if Paul was attempting to say "Wow!" as the force of the blow sank in to his rattled senses.

"The fans didn't pay to see this garbage," said the referee, encapsulating the dismal spectacle far more effectively than anyone else managed to.

Trapped 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 serious reality of the sweet science became clear. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the shot that broke his jaw in two separate places, Paul was lost in an completely stunned moment.

So that is what it is like, and appears, to be hit hard by a real professional fighter, an Olympic champion and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is certainly the word.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been sent to the floor, but the result of a proper power shot ensured Paul would not be able to rise and taunt his opponent before the official waved the contest to a halt. As blood began to trickle from his mouth, and a numbing throb radiated through his jawbone, Paul at last understood how difficult, exhausting, and perilous boxing is at a decent level of competition.

A Far From Commanding Victory for the Victor

Anthony Joshua, it should be stressed, was far from convincing amid the bedlam. After his empty victory, he performed a cut-throat motion that hinted at a clinical and deadly execution when, in reality, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for the majority of the fight. Rather than exuding intimidation or displaying an iron certainty, Joshua had seemed hesitant and crude for nearly five rounds.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a basic essential in top-level boxing, dictated the outcome. Lacking the stamina to escape any more, and resorting to falling to the deck as frequently as he could for a breather, Paul was left defenseless by exhaustion. Joshua delivered the brutal finish, but, until then, he had seemed a sad imitation of the fighter he was in 2017.

Joshua's Aftermath Comments

"It wasn't the finest display," Joshua admitted. "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 thoughts. It took a little more time than anticipated, but the straight right finally found its target."

Joshua commended Paul's bravery but he added an excuse for his own stilted performance. "He came up against a real fighter tonight that's had a fifteen-month hiatus," Joshua said, mentioning his previous defeat. "We dusted off the rust, and I am eager to head into 2026."

The Future: Faded Forces and Rising Stars

In the press conference afterwards, a jovial Joshua tried out a woeful imitation of his domestic rival as he called for a scrap against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will likely have his way, but that bout comes much too late in their careers. Both fighters are on the downward slope of the peak.

In stark contrast, the most compelling heavyweights in the world remain the Ukrainian master and Moses Itauma. Usyk is still the unquestioned ruler of the weight class, having beaten both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rapidly ascending force. The youthful British heavyweight likely have needed less than half the amount of rounds that Joshua needed to knock Paul into a appropriately wowed state.

Paul's Unbowed Reaction

But the public receives what the public wants, and that certainly means additional low-quality celebrity contests. Paul appeared truly satisfied and brash to have had his mandible fractured by a hammer-like right. In the early hours of the next day, he posted an radiograph, with the pair of breaks highlighted in red.

That lighthearted nod to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a much superior fighter than Joshua but a equally diminished force, demonstrated that Paul's comic chutzpah remains undented. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly locate another opponent with whom he can make north of $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before leaving for the medical facility, Paul spat a streak of blood onto the ring floor. It was another grim summary of the evening as Paul mixed harsh reality with blood-flecked bravado and said: "I think my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A proper beating from one of the best to ever do it. I love this shit and I'm going to return and keep on winning."