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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's jaw dropped agape, his eyes becoming huge glazed saucers as he sank to the canvas in shock and awe following a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It appeared as if Paul was trying to utter "Whoa!" as the force of the impact sank in to his scrambled senses.

"The audience didn't spend money to see this rubbish," snapped the referee, summing up the sorry affair far more effectively than anyone else managed to.

Pinned in a corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could no longer run or hold on to Joshua's legs in a desperate clinch as the gravity of boxing became clear. Instead, as he tried to absorb the shot that broke his jaw in two distinct locations, Paul was lost in an utterly stunned moment.

So that is what it feels, and appears, to be struck cleanly by a genuine professional fighter, an Olympic champion and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Wow" is indeed the word.

It was the fourth time the social media star had been knocked down, but the consequences of a clean punch ensured Paul would not be able to get up and waggle his tongue defiantly before the referee called the contest to a halt. As blood began to trickle from his mouth, and a numbing throb spread through his jaw, Paul finally grasped how hard, exhausting, and perilous boxing is at a respectable level of professionalism.

An Unimpressive Commanding Win for the Victor

Anthony Joshua, it should be stressed, was far from convincing during the chaos. After his hollow victory, he performed a cut-throat motion that suggested a precise and deadly execution when, in reality, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for most of the fight. Instead of glowering with menace or displaying an iron certainty, Joshua had appeared tentative and crude for almost five rounds.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a basic essential in elite boxing, shaped the outcome. Lacking the stamina to escape any longer, and reduced to slipping to the deck as frequently as he could for a breather, Paul was left helpless by fatigue. Joshua delivered the vicious ending, but, until then, he had looked like a sad shadow of the boxer he was in 2017.

The Winner's Post-Fight Comments

"That was not the finest performance," Joshua conceded. "The end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and hurt him. That has been the request, and that's what was on my mind. It took a bit longer than anticipated, but the straight right eventually found its target."

Joshua praised Paul's bravery but he offered an excuse for his own stilted performance. "He faced a real fighter tonight that's had a fifteen-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: Past Their Prime and Rising Stars

In the post-fight interview afterwards, a jovial Joshua attempted a poor imitation of his domestic rival as he demanded a fight against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will likely get his wish, but that bout comes much too late in their professional journeys. Both men are on the downward slope of the peak.

In stark contrast, the most compelling heavyweights in the world are Oleksandr Usyk and the British prospect. Usyk is still the undoubted king of the weight class, after defeating both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rapidly ascending force. The young British heavyweight likely have required less than half the amount of rounds that Joshua required to knock Paul into a appropriately wowed state.

Paul's Unbowed Reaction

But the fans receives what the public wants, and that certainly means more low-quality crossover fights. Paul appeared genuinely satisfied and cocky to have had his mandible fractured by a hammer-like right. In the early hours of the next day, he posted an X-ray, with the two fractures highlighted in red.

That lighthearted reference to the Mexican superstar, a much superior fighter than Joshua but a equally faded presence, showed that Paul's brazen audacity is unbroken. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly find another opponent with whom he can earn north of $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before leaving for the hospital, Paul spat a tracer of blood onto the canvas. It was another grim symbol of the night as Paul mangled harsh reality with gory bullshit and said: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A nice little 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."