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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's jaw dropped wide open, 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 say "Whoa!" as the force of the blow registered to his rattled senses.

"Those watching didn't spend money to see this crap," snapped the referee, summing up the sorry spectacle far more effectively than any observer else could.

Trapped in a neutral corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could not retreat or hold on to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the gravity 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 completely dazed moment.

So this is how it feels, and appears, to be hit hard by a genuine boxer, an Olympic champion and former world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is certainly the word.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been sent to the floor, but the consequences of a clean punch ensured Paul would not be able to get up and waggle his tongue defiantly before the referee 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 dangerous boxing is at a respectable standard of professionalism.

An Unimpressive Impressive Win for the Victor

Joshua, it should be stressed, was far from convincing during the chaos. After his empty victory, he performed a throat-slitting gesture that hinted at a clinical and lethal finish when, in truth, Joshua had appeared exasperated for most of the contest. Instead of glowering with menace or exhibiting an iron certainty, Joshua had appeared hesitant and crude for nearly five stanzas.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a basic essential in elite boxing, dictated the result. Without the gas to flee any longer, and reduced to falling to the deck as often as he could for a breather, Paul was left defenseless by fatigue. Joshua delivered the vicious ending, but, up to that point, he had looked like a sad imitation of the fighter he had been in 2017.

The Winner's Aftermath Assessment

"That was not the finest display," Joshua conceded. "The objective was to catch Jake Paul, corner him 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 reached its destination."

Joshua commended Paul's courage but he offered an explanation for his own stilted showing. "He faced a genuine competitor tonight that's had a fifteen-month hiatus," Joshua said, mentioning his last defeat. "We dusted off the rust, and I can't wait to roll into 2026."

What Comes Next: Past Their Prime and Rising Stars

In the press conference that followed, a jovial Joshua attempted a woeful impression of Tyson Fury as he called for a fight against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will probably get his wish, but that matchup comes much 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 are the Ukrainian master and Moses Itauma. Usyk is still the undoubted ruler of the division, after defeating both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rising force. The young British heavyweight would probably have required less than half the number of three-minute periods that Joshua needed to knock Paul into a appropriately astonished stupor.

Paul's Unbowed Reaction

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

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

While he was being interviewed, before leaving for the hospital, Paul spat a tracer of blood onto the ring floor. It was another bleak summary of the night as Paul mixed blunt truth with gory bullshit and said: "I think my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A proper ass-whipping from one of the greatest to ever do it. I love this sport and I'm going to return and keep on winning."