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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's mouth gaped wide open, his expression turning to wide, stunned circles as he collapsed to the mat in shock and awe after a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It looked as if Paul was trying to utter "Whoa!" as the severity of the blow registered to his rattled senses.

"Those watching didn't spend money to see this crap," snapped the referee, encapsulating the sorry spectacle far more succinctly than any observer else could.

Trapped in a corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could not retreat or cling to Joshua's legs in a desperate clinch as the gravity of boxing enveloped him. Instead, as he tried to absorb the punch that broke his jaw in two distinct locations, Paul was lost in an completely stunned moment.

So that is what it is like, and looks, to be struck cleanly by a genuine boxer, an Olympic gold medallist and former world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" 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 punch meant Paul could not rise and taunt his opponent before the referee called the charade over. As blood began to trickle from his lips, and a dull ache spread through his jawbone, Paul at last understood how hard, exhausting, and perilous boxing is at a decent level of professionalism.

A Far From Commanding Win for the Victor

Anthony Joshua, it must be noted, was not impressive amid the bedlam. After his hollow victory, he performed a throat-slitting gesture that hinted at a precise and deadly execution when, in reality, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for the majority of the fight. Instead of glowering with menace or exhibiting an iron certainty, Joshua had appeared hesitant and crude for nearly five stanzas.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a fundamental requirement in elite boxing, shaped the result. Lacking the stamina to escape any more, and resorting to slipping to the canvas as often as he could for a rest, Paul was left helpless by fatigue. Joshua applied the vicious ending, but, up to that point, he had seemed a sad imitation of the boxer he was in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Comments

"It wasn't the finest performance," Joshua admitted. "The end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and do damage. That has been the request, and that's what was on my thoughts. It took a little more time than expected, but the right hand finally found its destination."

Joshua commended Paul's courage but he added an explanation for his own labored showing. "He faced a real fighter tonight that's had a fifteen-month layoff," Joshua said, mentioning his last defeat. "We shook off the rust, and I am eager to roll into 2026."

What Comes Next: Past Their Prime and New Talent

In the press conference that followed, a cheerful Joshua tried out a woeful impression of Tyson Fury as he demanded a scrap against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will likely get his wish, but that matchup comes much too late in their professional journeys. Both fighters are on the far side of the peak.

In stark contrast, the most interesting heavyweights in the world are the Ukrainian master and the British prospect. Usyk is still the unquestioned king of the weight class, after defeating both Joshua and Fury twice. At the same time, Itauma is a rapidly ascending talent. The young British heavyweight likely have required less than half the number of three-minute periods that Joshua required to knock Paul into a appropriately astonished state.

The Defeated Fighter's Defiant Response

But the fans gets what the public desires, and that undoubtedly means more low-quality crossover fights. Paul seemed genuinely proud and brash to have had his jaw broken by a hammer-like right. In the early hours of the next day, he posted an X-ray, with the pair of breaks highlighted in red.

That jokey nod to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a equally faded presence, demonstrated that Paul's comic chutzpah remains undented. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will soon locate someone else with whom he can make more than $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before leaving for the hospital, Paul expelled a tracer of blood onto the canvas. It was one more grim summary of the night as Paul mangled harsh reality with gory bullshit and said: "I think my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A proper beating from one of the greatest to ever step in the ring. I adore this sport and I'm going to come back and continue winning."