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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's jaw dropped wide open, his expression turning to wide, stunned circles as he sank to the canvas in stunned disbelief after a devastating right hand from the former champion. It appeared as if Paul was attempting to say "Wow!" as the severity of the impact registered to his rattled senses.

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

Pinned in a neutral corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could no longer 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 fractured his mandible in two separate places, Paul was caught in an utterly dazed moment.

So this is how it is like, and looks, to be struck cleanly by a real professional fighter, an Olympic gold medallist and former world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is indeed the word.

It was the fourth time the social media star had been knocked down, but the consequences of a proper punch ensured Paul could not rise and taunt his opponent before the referee waved the charade over. As blood began to trickle from his lips, and a dull ache spread through his jaw, Paul at last understood how hard, exhausting, and dangerous boxing is at a respectable standard of competition.

A Far From Commanding Win for Joshua

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 lethal finish 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 awkward for nearly five stanzas.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a fundamental requirement in elite boxing, shaped the result. Lacking the stamina to flee any longer, and reduced to slipping to the deck as often as he could for a rest, Paul was left helpless by exhaustion. Joshua applied the vicious ending, but, up to that point, he had seemed a mournful imitation of the boxer he had been in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Comments

"That was not the best display," Joshua admitted. "The end goal was to catch Jake Paul, pin him down and do damage. That has been the plan, and that's what was on my thoughts. It took a bit longer than anticipated, but the straight right finally found its destination."

Joshua praised Paul's courage but he offered an excuse for his own stilted performance. "He faced a real fighter tonight that's had a 15-month layoff," Joshua said, mentioning his last defeat. "We shook off the rust, and I can't wait to roll into 2026."

The Future: Past Their Prime and New Talent

In the press conference that followed, a cheerful Joshua tried out a poor impression of his domestic rival as he demanded a scrap against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will likely get his wish, but that bout comes far too late in their careers. Both fighters are on the downward slope of the peak.

In contrast, the most interesting big men in the world remain Oleksandr Usyk and the British prospect. Usyk is still the undoubted king of the weight class, having beaten both Joshua and Fury twice. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rising force. The young British heavyweight would probably have needed less than half the amount of rounds that Joshua needed to knock Paul into a appropriately wowed state.

The Defeated Fighter's Defiant Reaction

But the public gets what the public desires, and that certainly means additional pitiful celebrity contests. Paul appeared genuinely satisfied and brash to have had his mandible fractured by a hammer-like right. In the early hours of the next day, he shared an radiograph, with the pair of breaks marked in red.

That lighthearted reference to the Mexican superstar, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a similarly diminished presence, demonstrated that Paul's brazen audacity remains undented. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly find someone else with whom he can make north of $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before departing to the medical facility, Paul spat a streak of blood onto the canvas. It was one more bleak symbol of the night as Paul mangled harsh reality with blood-flecked bullshit and said: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A proper ass-whipping from one of the greatest to ever do it. I love this shit and I'm going to return and keep on winning."