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Jake Paul's mouth gaped agape, his expression turning to huge glazed saucers as he sank to the mat in stunned disbelief following a devastating right hand from the former champion. It appeared as if Paul was trying to say "Whoa!" as the severity of the impact sank in to his rattled senses.

"Those watching didn't pay to see this crap," snapped the referee, encapsulating the sorry spectacle much more succinctly than any observer else managed to.

Pinned in a neutral corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could not retreat or hold on to Joshua's legs in a desperate clinch as the serious reality of boxing became clear. Instead, as he tried to absorb the punch that fractured his mandible in two distinct locations, Paul was lost in an completely stunned moment.

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

It was the fourth time the social media star had been knocked down, but the consequences of a proper punch meant Paul could not get up and taunt his opponent before the referee waved the contest to a halt. As blood began to trickle from his mouth, and a numbing throb spread through his jawbone, Paul finally understood how hard, grueling, and perilous boxing is at a respectable level of competition.

A Far From Commanding Win for the Victor

Anthony Joshua, it should be stressed, was not impressive amid the chaos. After his empty victory, he made a cut-throat motion that suggested a precise and deadly finish when, in reality, Joshua had appeared exasperated for most of the fight. Rather than glowering with menace or exhibiting an iron certainty, Joshua had appeared tentative and awkward for nearly five stanzas.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a fundamental requirement in elite boxing, shaped the result. Lacking the stamina to escape any longer, and resorting to falling to the canvas as often as he could for a rest, Paul was rendered helpless by fatigue. Joshua applied the brutal finish, but, until then, he had looked like a mournful imitation of the boxer he was in 2017.

The Winner's Aftermath Comments

"It wasn't the best performance," Joshua conceded. "The objective 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 anticipated, but the straight right finally reached its destination."

Joshua praised Paul's courage but he added an excuse for his own stilted showing. "He faced a genuine competitor tonight that's had a 15-month layoff," Joshua said, mentioning his previous loss. "We dusted off the cobwebs, and I can't wait to head into 2026."

The Future: Past Their Prime and New Talent

In the post-fight interview 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 likely get his wish, but that bout comes much too late in their careers. Both fighters are on the downward slope of the hill.

In contrast, the most interesting heavyweights in the world remain Oleksandr Usyk and the British prospect. Usyk remains the undoubted king of the weight class, 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 amount of three-minute periods that Joshua required to knock Paul into a suitably wowed state.

The Defeated Fighter's Defiant Reaction

But the public gets what the public desires, and that undoubtedly means more pitiful crossover fights. Paul appeared genuinely proud and cocky to have had his jaw broken by a sledgehammer right. In the wee hours of Saturday morning, he posted an radiograph, with the two fractures highlighted in red.

That jokey nod to the Mexican superstar, a much superior fighter than Joshua but a similarly diminished force, demonstrated that Paul's brazen audacity remains unbroken. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will soon locate someone else with whom he can earn north of $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before leaving for the medical facility, Paul spat a tracer of blood onto the ring floor. It was another grim summary of the evening as Paul mixed harsh reality with gory bullshit and stated: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A nice little ass-whipping from one of the greatest to ever step in the ring. I love this shit and I'm going to come back and continue winning."