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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 after a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It looked as if Paul was attempting to utter "Whoa!" as the severity of the blow registered to his scrambled senses.

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

Trapped in a neutral 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 serious reality of the sweet science became clear. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the shot that broke his jaw in two distinct locations, Paul was lost in an utterly dazed moment.

So that is what it feels, and appears, to be struck cleanly by a real professional fighter, an Olympic gold medallist and former world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is indeed the word.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been knocked down, but the result of a clean power shot ensured Paul could not get up and taunt his opponent before the referee called the charade to a halt. As blood began to trickle from his lips, and a dull ache spread through his jaw, Paul finally grasped how hard, grueling, and dangerous boxing is at a decent level of competition.

A Far From Commanding Win for Joshua

Joshua, it must be noted, was not impressive during the bedlam. After his empty victory, he performed a cut-throat motion that suggested a precise and deadly finish when, in truth, Joshua had appeared exasperated for the majority of the contest. Rather than exuding intimidation or displaying an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had seemed tentative and crude for almost five rounds.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a basic essential in top-level boxing, dictated the result. Lacking the stamina to escape any more, and resorting to falling to the canvas as frequently as he could for a breather, Paul was left defenseless by fatigue. Joshua applied the brutal ending, but, until then, he had seemed a mournful shadow of the boxer he was in 2017.

The Winner's Aftermath Assessment

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

Joshua praised Paul's courage but he added an excuse for his own stilted showing. "He came up against a real fighter tonight that's had a fifteen-month hiatus," Joshua said, mentioning his previous defeat. "We dusted off the rust, and I can't wait to roll into 2026."

The Future: Faded Forces and New Talent

In the post-fight interview that followed, a jovial Joshua attempted a woeful imitation of his domestic rival as he demanded a fight against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will probably have his way, but that bout comes far too late in their professional journeys. Both fighters are on the downward slope of the peak.

In contrast, the most compelling heavyweights in the world remain Oleksandr Usyk and Moses Itauma. Usyk remains the unquestioned king of the weight class, after defeating both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. At the same time, Itauma is a rapidly ascending talent. The youthful British heavyweight likely have needed fewer than half the number of rounds that Joshua needed to send Paul into a suitably wowed stupor.

Paul's Defiant Reaction

But the fans receives what the public wants, and that certainly means additional pitiful celebrity 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 X-ray, with the pair of breaks marked in crimson.

That jokey reference to the Mexican superstar, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a similarly diminished presence, demonstrated that Paul's comic chutzpah remains undented. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will soon locate someone else with whom he can earn north of $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before leaving for the medical facility, Paul expelled a streak of blood onto the canvas. It was one more grim symbol of the evening as Paul mangled harsh reality with gory bullshit and stated: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A proper ass-whipping from one of the best to ever do it. I adore this shit and I'm going to come back and keep on winning."