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Jake Paul's jaw dropped agape, his eyes becoming huge glazed saucers as he sank to the canvas in shock and awe after a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It appeared as if Paul was attempting to say "Whoa!" as the force of the impact sank in to his rattled senses.

"Those watching didn't pay to see this rubbish," said the referee, summing up the dismal spectacle far more succinctly than any observer else could.

Pinned in a corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could not run or hold on to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the serious reality of the sweet science enveloped him. Instead, as he tried to absorb the punch that broke his jaw in two distinct locations, Paul was caught in an utterly dazed moment.

So this is how it is like, and appears, to be hit hard by a real boxer, an Olympic champion and former world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is certainly the word.

It was the fourth time the social media star had been sent to the floor, but the result of a clean punch ensured Paul could not get up and taunt his opponent before the referee called the charade over. As blood began to trickle from his lips, and a numbing throb spread through his jawbone, Paul finally grasped how hard, exhausting, and perilous boxing is at a decent level of professionalism.

A Far From Impressive Victory for Joshua

Joshua, it should be stressed, was not impressive amid the chaos. After his hollow victory, he performed a cut-throat motion that suggested a clinical and deadly finish when, in reality, Joshua had appeared exasperated for the majority of the contest. Instead of glowering with menace or exhibiting an iron certainty, Joshua had appeared hesitant and crude for nearly five rounds.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a basic essential in top-level boxing, shaped the result. Lacking the stamina to escape any more, and resorting to slipping to the deck as often as he could for a breather, Paul was left helpless by exhaustion. Joshua delivered the brutal finish, but, until then, he had looked like a mournful imitation of the boxer he had been in 2017.

Joshua's Aftermath Comments

"That was not the best performance," Joshua conceded. "The end goal was to catch Jake Paul, pin him down and hurt him. That has been the plan, and that's what was on my mind. It took a little more time than expected, but the straight right eventually reached its destination."

Joshua commended Paul's bravery but he added an excuse for his own stilted showing. "He came up against a genuine competitor tonight that's had a fifteen-month layoff," Joshua said, referencing his previous loss. "We dusted off the cobwebs, and I am eager to roll into 2026."

What Comes Next: Past Their Prime and Rising Stars

In the post-fight interview afterwards, a cheerful Joshua attempted a woeful imitation of Tyson Fury as he demanded a scrap against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will likely get his wish, but that matchup comes far too late in their professional journeys. Both fighters are on the far side of the hill.

In contrast, the most compelling big men in the world remain the Ukrainian master and Moses Itauma. Usyk remains the unquestioned king of the division, after defeating both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. At the same time, Itauma is a rising force. The youthful British heavyweight likely have required fewer than half the amount of rounds that Joshua required to knock Paul into a suitably wowed state.

The Defeated Fighter's Defiant Reaction

But the public receives what the public desires, and that certainly means additional low-quality crossover contests. Paul appeared truly satisfied and brash to have had his jaw broken by a hammer-like right. In the wee hours of Saturday morning, he shared an radiograph, with the two fractures marked in crimson.

That jokey reference to the Mexican superstar, a much superior boxer than Joshua but a equally faded force, demonstrated that Paul's comic chutzpah is unbroken. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly locate someone else with whom he can make more than $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before leaving for the hospital, Paul spat a tracer of blood onto the canvas. It was another grim symbol of the evening as Paul mixed harsh reality with blood-flecked bullshit and said: "I think my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A nice little beating from one of the greatest to ever step in the ring. I adore this shit and I'm going to return and continue winning."