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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's mouth gaped wide open, his expression turning to wide, stunned circles as he collapsed to the mat in shock and awe following a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It appeared as if Paul was attempting to say "Whoa!" as the force of the blow sank in to his rattled senses.

"The fans didn't spend money to see this crap," snapped the referee, summing up the dismal affair far more effectively than any observer else could.

Pinned in a 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 enveloped him. Instead, as he tried to absorb the punch that broke his jaw in two distinct locations, Paul was caught in an utterly dazed moment.

So that is what it feels, and looks, to be hit hard by a real professional fighter, an Olympic gold medallist and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" 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 ensured Paul could not rise and waggle his tongue defiantly before the official called the charade over. As blood began to trickle from his mouth, and a numbing throb spread through his jawbone, Paul at last grasped how difficult, exhausting, and perilous boxing is at a decent level of professionalism.

A Far From Impressive Win for Joshua

Anthony Joshua, it must be noted, was far from convincing amid the bedlam. After his hollow victory, he performed a cut-throat motion that suggested a clinical and deadly finish when, in truth, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for most of the contest. Rather than glowering with menace or displaying an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had appeared hesitant and crude for nearly five stanzas.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a basic essential in top-level boxing, dictated the outcome. Lacking the stamina to escape any longer, and resorting to slipping to the deck as often as he could for a rest, Paul was rendered helpless by fatigue. Joshua delivered the brutal ending, but, until then, he had looked like a mournful shadow of the boxer he had been in 2017.

The Winner's Aftermath Comments

"That was not the best performance," Joshua admitted. "The end goal was to catch Jake Paul, corner him and do damage. That has been the request, and that's what was on my thoughts. It took a little more time than anticipated, but the right hand eventually found its target."

Joshua praised Paul's bravery but he offered an explanation for his own stilted performance. "He faced a real fighter tonight that's had a fifteen-month hiatus," Joshua said, referencing his last defeat. "We shook off the rust, and I can't wait to roll into 2026."

The Future: Faded Forces and New Talent

In the press conference that followed, a jovial Joshua attempted a woeful imitation of his domestic rival as he demanded a fight against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will likely get his wish, but that matchup comes much too late in their professional journeys. 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 Moses Itauma. Usyk is still the unquestioned 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 number of rounds that Joshua needed to send Paul into a suitably wowed state.

Paul's Defiant Reaction

But the public receives what the public wants, and that certainly means more low-quality celebrity fights. Paul appeared truly proud and brash to have had his jaw broken by a hammer-like right. In the early hours of Saturday morning, he posted an radiograph, with the two fractures highlighted in red.

That jokey nod to the Mexican superstar, a much superior fighter than Joshua but a similarly diminished force, showed that Paul's brazen audacity remains undented. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will soon locate another opponent with whom he can earn north of $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before leaving for the medical facility, Paul spat a streak of blood onto the ring floor. It was another grim symbol of the night as Paul mixed blunt truth with gory bravado and stated: "I think my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A nice little beating from one of the best to ever step in the ring. I adore this shit and I'm going to come back and continue winning."