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Jake Paul's jaw dropped agape, his expression turning to wide, stunned circles as he collapsed to the canvas in stunned disbelief following a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It appeared as if Paul was trying to say "Whoa!" as the force of the impact sank in to his scrambled senses.

"The fans didn't spend money to see this garbage," said the referee, summing up the dismal affair far more effectively than anyone else managed to.

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 in a desperate clinch as the gravity of the sweet science enveloped him. Instead, as he tried to absorb the shot that fractured his mandible in two distinct locations, Paul was caught in an utterly dazed moment.

So that is what it feels, and appears, to be struck cleanly by a genuine boxer, an Olympic champion and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is indeed the appropriate term.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been knocked down, but the result of a clean power shot meant Paul could not rise and taunt his opponent before the official waved the contest over. As blood began to trickle from his lips, and a dull ache spread through his jaw, Paul at last understood how hard, grueling, and perilous boxing is at a decent level of competition.

A Far From Impressive Victory for Joshua

Joshua, it should be stressed, was far from convincing during the bedlam. After his hollow victory, he made a throat-slitting gesture that hinted at a precise and lethal execution when, in truth, Joshua had appeared exasperated for the majority of the contest. Instead of glowering with menace or displaying an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had seemed hesitant and awkward for almost five stanzas.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a fundamental requirement in elite boxing, dictated the outcome. Lacking the stamina to flee any more, and reduced to slipping to the deck as frequently as he could for a rest, Paul was left helpless by fatigue. Joshua delivered the brutal ending, but, up to that point, he had looked like a sad imitation of the boxer he was in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Comments

"That was not the finest performance," Joshua admitted. "The end goal 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 little more time than anticipated, but the straight right eventually reached its target."

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

The Future: Faded Forces and New Talent

In the press conference afterwards, a cheerful Joshua tried out a poor imitation of his domestic rival as he called for a fight against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will probably get his wish, but that matchup comes far too late in their professional journeys. Both men are on the downward slope of the peak.

In contrast, the most compelling big men in the world remain Oleksandr Usyk and Moses Itauma. Usyk remains the unquestioned ruler of the division, having beaten both Joshua and Fury twice. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rapidly ascending talent. The youthful British heavyweight would probably have needed less than half the number of rounds that Joshua needed to knock Paul into a suitably astonished stupor.

Paul's Unbowed Response

But the public receives what the public wants, and that undoubtedly means more low-quality celebrity fights. Paul seemed genuinely satisfied and cocky to have had his jaw broken by a hammer-like right. In the wee hours of the next day, he posted an X-ray, with the two fractures highlighted in crimson.

That jokey reference to the Mexican superstar, a much superior fighter than Joshua but a similarly diminished presence, showed that Paul's comic chutzpah is undented. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will soon find someone else with whom he can earn north of $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before leaving for the medical facility, Paul spat a tracer of blood onto the canvas. It was another grim summary of the night as Paul mangled blunt truth with blood-flecked bullshit and stated: "I believe 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 sport and I'm going to come back and keep on winning."