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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's mouth gaped wide open, his eyes becoming wide, stunned circles as he collapsed to the mat in shock and awe following a devastating right hand from the former champion. It looked as if Paul was attempting to say "Wow!" as the severity of the blow registered to his scrambled senses.

"The audience didn't pay to see this rubbish," said the referee, summing up the sorry affair much more effectively than any observer else managed to.

Trapped in a corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could no longer retreat or cling to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the gravity of the sweet science enveloped him. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the punch that broke his jaw in two separate places, Paul was lost in an completely dazed moment.

So this is how it feels, and appears, to be struck cleanly by a genuine professional fighter, an Olympic champion and former world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is certainly the word.

It was the fourth time the social media star had been sent to the floor, but the result of a proper punch ensured Paul could not get up and waggle his tongue defiantly before the official called the contest to a halt. As blood began to trickle from his mouth, and a dull ache spread through his jawbone, Paul finally grasped how difficult, grueling, and dangerous boxing is at a decent level of competition.

A Far From Impressive Win for the Victor

Joshua, it should be stressed, was far from convincing amid the bedlam. After his hollow victory, he made a throat-slitting gesture that suggested a precise and lethal execution when, in truth, Joshua had appeared exasperated for most of the contest. Rather than exuding intimidation or exhibiting an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had appeared tentative and crude for almost five rounds.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a basic essential in elite boxing, shaped the result. Without the gas to escape any more, and reduced to falling to the deck as frequently as he could for a rest, Paul was left helpless by fatigue. Joshua applied the brutal ending, but, until then, he had seemed a mournful imitation of the fighter he was in 2017.

The Winner's Post-Fight Comments

"It wasn't the best performance," Joshua conceded. "The end goal was to catch Jake Paul, pin him down 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 found its target."

Joshua commended Paul's bravery but he offered an excuse for his own labored showing. "He came up against a real fighter tonight that's had a fifteen-month layoff," Joshua said, mentioning his previous defeat. "We shook off the cobwebs, and I am eager to head into 2026."

The Future: Faded Forces and Rising Stars

In the press conference that followed, a cheerful Joshua tried out a woeful impression of his domestic rival as he demanded a scrap against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will probably have his way, but that bout comes far too late in their careers. Both men are on the downward slope of the hill.

In contrast, the most compelling heavyweights in the world are the Ukrainian master and the British prospect. Usyk remains the unquestioned king of the weight class, after defeating both Joshua and Fury twice. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rapidly ascending force. The youthful British heavyweight would probably have required fewer than half the amount of three-minute periods that Joshua needed to send Paul into a suitably astonished stupor.

The Defeated Fighter's Unbowed Response

But the fans gets what the public desires, and that undoubtedly means additional pitiful crossover fights. Paul appeared truly proud and brash to have had his mandible fractured by a sledgehammer right. In the wee hours of the next day, he shared an radiograph, with the two fractures marked in red.

That jokey reference to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a much superior fighter than Joshua but a equally faded force, showed that Paul's comic chutzpah is unbroken. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly find someone else with whom he can earn north of $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before leaving for the medical facility, Paul expelled a tracer of blood onto the ring floor. It was one more grim symbol of the evening as Paul mangled blunt truth with gory bravado and said: "I think my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A nice little ass-whipping from one of the best to ever do it. I love this sport and I'm going to come back and keep on winning."