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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's mouth gaped agape, his expression turning to wide, stunned circles as he collapsed to the canvas in stunned disbelief after a devastating right hand from the former champion. It appeared as if Paul was attempting to utter "Whoa!" as the severity of the impact registered to his scrambled senses.

"The fans didn't pay to see this rubbish," snapped the referee, summing up the dismal affair far more effectively than anyone else could.

Trapped in a corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could no longer run or hold on to Joshua's legs in a desperate clinch as the serious reality of boxing became clear. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the punch that fractured his mandible in two distinct locations, Paul was caught 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 former world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is indeed the appropriate term.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been knocked down, but the consequences of a clean power shot meant Paul could not rise and waggle his tongue defiantly before the official called the contest to a halt. As blood began to trickle from his lips, and a dull ache spread through his jaw, Paul at last grasped how hard, exhausting, and perilous boxing is at a decent standard of professionalism.

A Far From Commanding Victory for the Victor

Joshua, it should be stressed, was not impressive amid the bedlam. After his empty victory, he made a cut-throat motion that suggested a clinical and deadly execution when, in reality, Joshua had appeared exasperated for the majority of the contest. Instead of exuding intimidation or exhibiting an iron certainty, Joshua had seemed tentative and awkward for nearly five stanzas.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a fundamental requirement in elite boxing, dictated the result. Without the gas to escape any longer, and reduced to falling to the canvas as frequently as he could for a rest, Paul was rendered defenseless by exhaustion. Joshua delivered the brutal finish, but, until then, he had looked like a sad imitation of the boxer he had been in 2017.

Joshua's Aftermath Comments

"That was not the best display," Joshua admitted. "The objective was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and do damage. That has been the plan, and that's what was on my mind. It took a little more time than anticipated, but the straight right finally found its destination."

Joshua commended Paul's bravery but he offered an explanation for his own stilted showing. "He came up against a genuine competitor tonight that's had a 15-month hiatus," Joshua said, referencing his last loss. "We dusted off the cobwebs, and I am eager to roll into 2026."

The Future: Past Their Prime and New Talent

In the post-fight interview afterwards, a cheerful Joshua attempted a woeful imitation of Tyson Fury 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 professional journeys. Both fighters are on the far side of the hill.

In contrast, the most compelling heavyweights in the world are Oleksandr Usyk and Moses Itauma. Usyk remains the unquestioned king of the division, after defeating both Joshua and Fury twice. At the same time, Itauma is a rapidly ascending force. The youthful British heavyweight would probably have required fewer than half the number of three-minute periods that Joshua needed to knock Paul into a suitably wowed state.

Paul's Defiant Response

But the public gets what the public desires, and that certainly means more pitiful celebrity fights. Paul seemed genuinely proud and brash to have had his mandible fractured by a sledgehammer right. In the wee hours of Saturday morning, he shared an radiograph, with the two fractures highlighted in red.

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

While he was being interviewed, before leaving for the medical facility, Paul spat a streak of blood onto the canvas. It was another grim symbol of the evening as Paul mixed harsh reality with blood-flecked bullshit and stated: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A proper beating from one of the greatest to ever do it. I adore this sport and I'm going to come back and keep on winning."