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Jake Paul's mouth gaped wide open, his eyes becoming wide, stunned circles as he sank to the mat in stunned disbelief following a pulverising right hand from Anthony Joshua. It looked as if Paul was trying to utter "Wow!" as the severity of the blow sank in to his scrambled senses.

"The audience didn't spend money to see this garbage," said 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 enveloped him. Instead, as he tried to absorb the punch that broke his jaw in two separate places, Paul was caught in an utterly stunned moment.

So that is what it is like, and looks, to be hit hard by a genuine professional fighter, an Olympic champion and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Wow" is indeed the word.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been sent to the floor, but the result of a proper power shot meant Paul could not get up and waggle his tongue defiantly before the referee called the charade to a halt. As blood began to leak from his lips, and a dull ache spread through his jawbone, Paul finally grasped how difficult, grueling, and perilous boxing is at a decent level of professionalism.

A Far From Commanding Victory for the Victor

Anthony Joshua, it should be stressed, was not impressive amid the chaos. After his empty victory, he made a throat-slitting gesture that hinted at a precise and lethal execution when, in reality, Joshua had appeared exasperated for most of the contest. Instead of glowering with menace or exhibiting an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had seemed tentative and awkward for almost five rounds.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a basic essential in elite boxing, dictated the outcome. Without the gas to escape any more, and resorting to falling to the deck as often as he could for a rest, Paul was left helpless by fatigue. Joshua delivered the vicious ending, but, until then, he had looked like a mournful imitation of the boxer he was in 2017.

The Winner's Aftermath Comments

"It wasn't the finest display," Joshua conceded. "The objective was to catch Jake Paul, pin him down 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 straight right finally reached its target."

Joshua praised Paul's bravery but he added an excuse for his own labored showing. "He came up against a real fighter tonight that's had a 15-month hiatus," Joshua said, referencing his last defeat. "We dusted off the cobwebs, and I can't wait to roll into 2026."

What Comes Next: Faded Forces and New Talent

In the press conference that followed, a jovial Joshua attempted 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 much too late in their careers. Both fighters are on the downward slope of the hill.

In stark contrast, the most interesting heavyweights in the world remain the Ukrainian master and the British prospect. Usyk remains the unquestioned ruler of the division, 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 required less than half the amount of three-minute periods that Joshua needed to knock Paul into a appropriately wowed stupor.

Paul's Unbowed Response

But the fans gets what the public wants, and that undoubtedly means additional pitiful crossover fights. Paul seemed genuinely satisfied and cocky to have had his mandible fractured by a hammer-like right. In the early hours of the next day, he shared an radiograph, with the two fractures highlighted in red.

That lighthearted nod to the Mexican superstar, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a equally diminished force, showed that Paul's brazen audacity remains undented. It may 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 hospital, Paul spat a streak of blood onto the canvas. It was another grim symbol of the night as Paul mixed harsh reality with blood-flecked bullshit and stated: "I think my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A proper beating from one of the greatest to ever step in the ring. I adore this sport and I'm going to come back and keep on winning."