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Jake Paul's mouth gaped wide open, his eyes becoming huge glazed saucers as he collapsed to the canvas in shock and awe following a devastating right hand from Anthony Joshua. It appeared as if Paul was attempting to say "Whoa!" as the severity of the blow registered to his rattled senses.

"Those watching didn't spend money to see this rubbish," said the referee, encapsulating the sorry spectacle much more effectively than anyone else managed to.

Pinned 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 became clear. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the punch that fractured his mandible in two separate places, Paul was lost in an utterly stunned moment.

So that is what it is like, and looks, to be hit hard by a genuine professional fighter, an Olympic gold medallist and former world heavyweight champion. "Wow" is indeed the word.

It was the fourth time the social media star had been sent to the floor, but the consequences of a clean punch ensured Paul would not be able to get up and taunt his opponent before the referee called the contest to a halt. As blood began to leak from his lips, and a numbing throb spread through his jaw, Paul at last understood how difficult, grueling, and dangerous boxing is at a decent level of professionalism.

A Far From Commanding Win for Joshua

Joshua, it must be noted, was far from convincing during the bedlam. After his empty victory, he performed a throat-slitting gesture that suggested a precise and deadly finish when, in reality, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for the majority of the contest. Rather than glowering with menace or exhibiting an iron certainty, Joshua had seemed hesitant and awkward for nearly five stanzas.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a fundamental requirement in elite boxing, shaped the result. Without the gas to escape any longer, and resorting to slipping to the deck as frequently as he could for a rest, Paul was left defenseless by exhaustion. Joshua delivered the brutal ending, but, up to that point, he had seemed a mournful imitation of the fighter he had been in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Comments

"It wasn't the finest display," Joshua conceded. "The objective was to get Jake Paul, corner him and do damage. That has been the request, and that's what was on my mind. It took a bit longer than anticipated, but the straight right eventually found its destination."

Joshua praised Paul's bravery but he added an explanation for his own stilted performance. "He faced a genuine competitor tonight that's had a 15-month layoff," Joshua said, mentioning his previous loss. "We shook off the cobwebs, and I can't wait to head into 2026."

The Future: Faded Forces and New Talent

In the post-fight interview afterwards, a jovial Joshua tried out a poor imitation of Tyson Fury as he demanded a scrap against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will likely have his way, but that matchup comes far too late in their careers. Both fighters are on the far side of the hill.

In contrast, the most interesting big men in the world are the Ukrainian master and Moses Itauma. Usyk remains the undoubted king of the weight class, having beaten both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rapidly ascending force. The young British heavyweight would probably have needed fewer than half the number of three-minute periods that Joshua needed to send Paul into a suitably wowed stupor.

Paul's Unbowed Reaction

But the public gets what the public wants, and that certainly means additional pitiful crossover contests. Paul appeared genuinely satisfied and cocky 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 marked in crimson.

That lighthearted nod to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a far greater boxer than Joshua but a similarly faded presence, showed that Paul's brazen audacity is unbroken. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly find someone else with whom he can earn more than $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before leaving for the medical facility, Paul expelled a streak of blood onto the ring floor. It was one more bleak symbol of the evening as Paul mangled 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 do it. I love this sport and I'm going to come back and continue winning."