Anthony Joshua & Paul Produce a Regrettable Display and the Most Troubling Part is There's More to Follow

Jake Paul's mouth gaped wide open, his expression turning to huge glazed saucers as he sank to the mat in stunned disbelief after a devastating right hand from Anthony Joshua. It appeared as if Paul was attempting to utter "Whoa!" as the force of the impact sank in to his rattled senses.

Trapped in a corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could no longer run or hold on to Joshua's legs in a desperate clinch as the gravity of boxing enveloped him. Instead, as he tried to absorb the punch that broke his jaw 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 champion and former world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is indeed the appropriate term.

It was the fourth time the social media star had been knocked down, but the result of a clean power shot meant Paul would not be able to rise and taunt his opponent before the official called the charade over. As blood began to leak from his mouth, and a numbing throb radiated through his jaw, Paul at last understood how hard, exhausting, and perilous boxing is at a decent level of competition.

An Unimpressive Commanding Win for the Victor

Anthony Joshua, it should be stressed, was not impressive amid the chaos. After his hollow victory, he performed a cut-throat motion that hinted at a clinical and lethal execution when, in reality, Joshua had appeared exasperated for most of the contest. Instead of glowering with menace or exhibiting an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had appeared hesitant and awkward for nearly five rounds.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a fundamental requirement in elite boxing, dictated the result. Without the gas to escape any more, and reduced to slipping to the canvas as often as he could for a breather, Paul was rendered defenseless by exhaustion. Joshua applied the vicious finish, but, up to that point, he had looked like a sad imitation of the boxer he had been in 2017.

Joshua's Aftermath Assessment

"That was not the finest display," Joshua conceded. "The objective was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and hurt him. That has been the request, and that's what was on my mind. It took a bit longer than anticipated, but the right hand eventually reached its destination."

Joshua praised Paul's bravery but he added an excuse for his own stilted showing. "He faced a real fighter tonight that's had a fifteen-month hiatus," Joshua said, mentioning his last defeat. "We shook off the rust, and I am eager to roll into 2026."

What Comes Next: Past Their Prime and New Talent

In the post-fight interview afterwards, a cheerful Joshua attempted a poor impression of his domestic rival as he demanded a scrap against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will probably have his way, but that matchup comes much too late in their professional journeys. Both men are on the downward slope of the hill.

In contrast, the most compelling big men in the world remain Oleksandr Usyk and the British prospect. Usyk remains the undoubted ruler of the weight class, after defeating both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rising talent. The youthful British heavyweight would probably have required less than half the amount of three-minute periods that Joshua required to send Paul into a appropriately astonished stupor.

Paul's Defiant Reaction

But the public receives what the public desires, and that certainly means additional pitiful celebrity fights. Paul seemed genuinely satisfied and brash to have had his mandible fractured by a sledgehammer right. In the wee hours of the next day, he posted an radiograph, with the two fractures marked in crimson.

That jokey nod to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a equally faded presence, showed that Paul's brazen audacity remains undented. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will soon locate another opponent with whom he can make more than $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before departing to the medical facility, Paul spat a streak of blood onto the canvas. It was another grim symbol of the night as Paul mangled blunt truth with gory bullshit and said: "I think my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A nice little ass-whipping from one of the greatest to ever do it. I love this sport and I'm going to come back and continue winning."