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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 looked as if Paul was trying to say "Whoa!" as the severity of the impact sank in to his rattled senses.

"The fans didn't spend money to see this garbage," snapped the referee, summing up the sorry affair much more succinctly than anyone else managed to.

Trapped in a neutral corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could no longer run or cling to Joshua's legs in a desperate clinch as the gravity of the sweet science became clear. Instead, as he tried to absorb the punch that fractured his mandible in two separate places, Paul was caught in an completely stunned moment.

So this is how it feels, and looks, to be struck cleanly by a genuine boxer, an Olympic gold medallist and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is indeed the word.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been knocked down, but the consequences of a proper punch ensured Paul could not rise and waggle his tongue defiantly before the official called the contest over. As blood began to trickle from his lips, and a dull ache radiated through his jaw, Paul finally understood how hard, grueling, and perilous boxing is at a decent standard of professionalism.

An Unimpressive Impressive Victory 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 suggested a precise and deadly finish when, in reality, Joshua had appeared exasperated for most of the fight. Instead of glowering with menace or displaying an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had appeared hesitant and crude for almost five stanzas.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a basic essential in top-level boxing, shaped the result. Lacking the stamina to escape any longer, and reduced to falling to the canvas as often as he could for a rest, Paul was left defenseless by fatigue. Joshua applied the brutal ending, but, until then, he had looked like a mournful imitation of the boxer he was in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Comments

"That was not the best performance," Joshua conceded. "The objective was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and do damage. That has been the request, and that's what was on my mind. It took a bit longer than anticipated, but the right hand eventually reached its destination."

Joshua praised Paul's courage but he offered an explanation for his own stilted performance. "He came up against a real fighter tonight that's had a 15-month hiatus," Joshua said, referencing his previous loss. "We shook off the rust, and I can't wait to roll into 2026."

What Comes Next: Past Their Prime and Rising Stars

In the press conference afterwards, a cheerful Joshua tried out a poor impression of Tyson Fury as he called for a fight against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will probably have his way, but that matchup comes far too late in their careers. Both fighters are on the downward slope of the hill.

In stark contrast, the most interesting big men in the world remain the Ukrainian master and Moses Itauma. Usyk remains the undoubted king of the weight class, after defeating both Joshua and Fury twice. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rising force. The youthful British heavyweight would probably have needed less than half the amount of rounds that Joshua needed to send Paul into a appropriately astonished state.

Paul's Unbowed Reaction

But the public receives what the public wants, and that certainly means additional pitiful crossover fights. Paul seemed genuinely satisfied and cocky 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 marked in crimson.

That lighthearted reference to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a much superior boxer than Joshua but a similarly diminished force, showed that Paul's comic chutzpah is 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 hospital, Paul expelled a tracer of blood onto the ring floor. It was another grim symbol of the night as Paul mangled blunt truth with blood-flecked bravado and stated: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A proper beating from one of the best to ever do it. I adore this shit and I'm going to return and continue winning."