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Jake Paul's jaw dropped agape, his eyes becoming wide, stunned circles as he collapsed to the mat in shock and awe after a devastating right hand from the former champion. It appeared as if Paul was attempting to utter "Wow!" as the force of the blow registered to his scrambled senses.

"The audience didn't pay to see this crap," snapped the referee, summing up the dismal spectacle much more succinctly than any observer else could.

Pinned in a corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could no longer retreat or cling to Joshua's legs in a desperate clinch as the gravity of the sweet science enveloped him. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the shot that fractured his mandible in two distinct locations, Paul was lost in an completely stunned moment.

So that is what it feels, 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 former YouTuber had been sent to the floor, but the result of a proper punch meant Paul could not rise and taunt his opponent before the referee waved the charade to a halt. As blood began to leak from his mouth, and a dull ache radiated through his jaw, Paul finally grasped how hard, exhausting, and perilous boxing is at a respectable standard of competition.

An Unimpressive Impressive Win for Joshua

Anthony Joshua, it should be stressed, was far from convincing during the chaos. After his empty victory, he made a cut-throat motion that hinted at a clinical and lethal execution when, in truth, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for the majority of the fight. Instead of exuding intimidation or displaying an iron certainty, Joshua had appeared hesitant and awkward for nearly five rounds.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a basic essential in elite boxing, dictated the outcome. Without the gas to escape any longer, and reduced to slipping to the canvas as often as he could for a breather, Paul was rendered helpless 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.

The Winner's Aftermath Comments

"It wasn't the best performance," Joshua admitted. "The end goal was to get Jake Paul, corner him and do damage. That has been the plan, and that's what was on my thoughts. It took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand finally found its target."

Joshua commended Paul's courage but he added an explanation for his own labored showing. "He came up against a genuine competitor tonight that's had a 15-month hiatus," Joshua said, mentioning his last defeat. "We shook off the rust, and I am eager to roll into 2026."

The Future: Faded Forces and New Talent

In the post-fight interview afterwards, a jovial Joshua tried out a woeful imitation of his domestic rival as he demanded 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 stark contrast, the most compelling heavyweights in the world are the Ukrainian master and Moses Itauma. Usyk remains the unquestioned ruler of the division, having beaten both Joshua and Fury twice. At the same time, Itauma is a rising talent. The young British heavyweight likely have needed fewer than half the number of three-minute periods that Joshua needed to knock Paul into a appropriately astonished state.

Paul's Defiant Response

But the public receives what the public desires, and that undoubtedly means additional low-quality crossover fights. Paul seemed genuinely satisfied and brash to have had his jaw broken by a hammer-like right. In the early hours of Saturday morning, he posted an X-ray, with the two fractures highlighted in red.

That jokey nod to the Mexican superstar, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a similarly diminished presence, showed that Paul's comic chutzpah is unbroken. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly locate another opponent with whom he can earn north of $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before leaving for the hospital, Paul spat a streak of blood onto the canvas. It was one more bleak symbol of the night as Paul mixed harsh reality with gory bravado and stated: "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 shit and I'm going to return and keep on winning."