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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's jaw dropped wide open, his eyes becoming huge glazed saucers as he sank to the mat in shock and awe after a devastating right hand from the former champion. It appeared as if Paul was trying to utter "Whoa!" as the severity of the blow sank in to his rattled senses.

"The fans didn't spend money to see this rubbish," snapped the referee, encapsulating the sorry affair far more succinctly than anyone else could.

Pinned in a neutral corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could not retreat or cling to Joshua's legs in a desperate clinch as the serious reality 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 utterly dazed moment.

So that is what it feels, and appears, to be hit hard by a real professional fighter, an Olympic champion and former world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is certainly the word.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been knocked down, but the consequences of a clean power shot meant Paul could not get up and waggle his tongue defiantly before the referee called the charade over. As blood began to trickle from his lips, and a dull ache radiated through his jaw, Paul at last grasped how difficult, grueling, and dangerous boxing is at a decent level of competition.

An Unimpressive Commanding Win for the Victor

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 deadly finish when, in truth, Joshua had appeared exasperated for the majority of the fight. Rather than glowering with menace or exhibiting an iron certainty, Joshua had appeared hesitant and crude for nearly five stanzas.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a fundamental requirement in top-level boxing, dictated the outcome. Lacking the stamina to escape any more, and resorting to slipping to the canvas as frequently as he could for a rest, Paul was left helpless by exhaustion. Joshua applied the vicious ending, but, up to that point, he had looked like a mournful imitation of the fighter he had been in 2017.

The Winner's Post-Fight Assessment

"That was not the best display," 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 thoughts. It took a little more time than expected, but the right hand eventually found its target."

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

The Future: Faded Forces and Rising Stars

In the press conference that followed, a jovial Joshua attempted a woeful imitation of Tyson Fury as he called for a fight against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will likely get his wish, but that bout comes much too late in their professional journeys. Both fighters are on the far side of the hill.

In contrast, the most interesting heavyweights in the world remain the Ukrainian master and the British prospect. Usyk remains the undoubted king of the division, having beaten both Joshua and Fury twice. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rapidly ascending talent. The young British heavyweight likely have required fewer than half the number of rounds that Joshua needed to send Paul into a suitably wowed stupor.

Paul's Defiant Reaction

But the public gets what the public wants, and that certainly means additional low-quality celebrity fights. Paul appeared genuinely satisfied 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 pair of breaks highlighted in crimson.

That jokey nod to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a far greater boxer than Joshua but a similarly faded presence, demonstrated that Paul's comic chutzpah remains unbroken. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly find another opponent with whom he can earn north of $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before leaving for the hospital, Paul spat a tracer of blood onto the ring floor. It was one more grim symbol of the night as Paul mangled blunt truth with blood-flecked bullshit and stated: "I think my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A proper ass-whipping from one of the best to ever step in the ring. I love this sport and I'm going to come back and keep on winning."