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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's jaw dropped agape, his expression turning to huge glazed saucers as he sank to the mat in stunned disbelief after a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It appeared as if Paul was trying to say "Wow!" as the severity of the blow sank in to his scrambled senses.

"Those watching didn't spend money to see this garbage," snapped the referee, summing up the sorry spectacle much more effectively than anyone else could.

Pinned in a neutral corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could not run or cling to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the gravity of the sweet science became clear. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the shot that broke his jaw in two separate places, Paul was lost in an utterly stunned moment.

So that is what it is like, and appears, to be hit hard by a genuine boxer, an Olympic champion and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is indeed the appropriate term.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been sent to the floor, but the consequences of a clean power shot ensured Paul would not be able to get up and taunt his opponent before the official called the contest to a halt. As blood began to leak from his lips, and a dull ache spread through his jawbone, Paul at last understood how difficult, exhausting, and perilous boxing is at a respectable standard of competition.

An Unimpressive Impressive Win for the Victor

Anthony Joshua, it should be stressed, was far from convincing during the bedlam. After his empty victory, he performed a cut-throat motion that suggested a precise and lethal execution when, in reality, Joshua had appeared exasperated for the majority of the contest. Rather than glowering with menace or exhibiting an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had seemed tentative and awkward for almost five stanzas.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a fundamental requirement in elite boxing, dictated the outcome. Lacking the stamina to escape any longer, and reduced to slipping to the deck as frequently as he could for a rest, Paul was left helpless by fatigue. Joshua applied the brutal ending, but, up to that point, he had seemed a sad shadow of the fighter he was in 2017.

Joshua's Aftermath Comments

"It wasn't the finest performance," Joshua admitted. "The objective was to catch Jake Paul, corner him and hurt him. That has been the plan, and that's what was on my mind. It took a little more time than anticipated, but the right hand eventually reached its target."

Joshua praised 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 15-month layoff," Joshua said, mentioning his previous loss. "We shook off the cobwebs, and I can't wait to head into 2026."

What Comes Next: Faded Forces and Rising Stars

In the post-fight interview that followed, a cheerful Joshua tried out a woeful imitation of Tyson Fury as he called for a scrap against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will likely get his wish, but that bout comes far too late in their careers. Both men are on the far side of the hill.

In contrast, the most compelling big men in the world are the Ukrainian master and the British prospect. Usyk remains the unquestioned ruler of the weight class, having beaten both Joshua and Fury twice. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rising force. The youthful British heavyweight would probably have required fewer than half the number of three-minute periods that Joshua needed to knock Paul into a appropriately astonished stupor.

The Defeated Fighter's Unbowed Reaction

But the public receives what the public wants, and that certainly means more 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 the next day, he shared an X-ray, with the pair of breaks highlighted in crimson.

That jokey reference to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a much superior boxer than Joshua but a similarly diminished presence, demonstrated that Paul's comic chutzpah remains undented. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will soon find another opponent with whom he can earn more than $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before departing to the hospital, Paul expelled a streak of blood onto the ring floor. It was another grim symbol of the evening as Paul mangled blunt truth with gory bullshit and said: "I think my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A proper beating from one of the best to ever do it. I love this shit and I'm going to come back and continue winning."