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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's mouth gaped agape, his expression turning to wide, stunned circles as he sank to the mat in stunned disbelief following a devastating right hand from Anthony Joshua. It appeared as if Paul was attempting to utter "Whoa!" as the force of the blow sank in to his scrambled senses.

"Those watching didn't pay to see this crap," said the referee, summing up the dismal spectacle far more succinctly than any observer else managed to.

Pinned in a corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could not retreat or hold on to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the gravity of boxing enveloped him. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the punch that broke his jaw in two distinct locations, Paul was lost in an utterly stunned moment.

So this is how it is like, and appears, to be hit hard by a real professional fighter, an Olympic gold medallist and former world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is certainly the word.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been knocked down, but the result of a clean punch ensured Paul could not get up and waggle his tongue defiantly before the official waved the contest to a halt. As blood began to leak from his lips, and a dull ache spread through his jawbone, Paul finally understood how hard, grueling, and dangerous boxing is at a decent level of competition.

An Unimpressive Commanding Win for Joshua

Anthony Joshua, it must be noted, was far from convincing amid the bedlam. After his empty victory, he performed a cut-throat motion that suggested a clinical and lethal execution when, in reality, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for the majority of the fight. Instead of exuding intimidation or exhibiting an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had seemed tentative and awkward for nearly five stanzas.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a fundamental requirement in top-level boxing, dictated the result. Without the gas to escape any more, and reduced to falling to the deck as often as he could for a rest, Paul was left defenseless by exhaustion. Joshua delivered the vicious finish, but, until then, he had seemed a mournful shadow of the fighter he was in 2017.

The Winner's Post-Fight Comments

"That was not the best performance," Joshua conceded. "The end goal was to catch Jake Paul, corner him and do damage. That has been the plan, and that's what was on my mind. It took a bit longer than anticipated, but the right hand finally found its destination."

Joshua praised Paul's bravery but he added an explanation for his own labored performance. "He faced a real fighter tonight that's had a fifteen-month layoff," Joshua said, referencing his last defeat. "We dusted off the cobwebs, and I am eager to roll into 2026."

What Comes Next: Past Their Prime and Rising Stars

In the post-fight interview 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 bout comes far too late in their professional journeys. Both fighters are on the far side of the peak.

In stark contrast, the most compelling heavyweights in the world remain Oleksandr Usyk and Moses Itauma. Usyk remains the undoubted king of the weight class, having beaten both Joshua and Fury twice. At the same time, Itauma is a rapidly ascending talent. The young British heavyweight likely have needed less than half the number of rounds that Joshua needed to knock Paul into a appropriately astonished state.

Paul's Unbowed Reaction

But the fans gets what the public desires, and that undoubtedly means additional pitiful crossover fights. Paul appeared genuinely proud and cocky to have had his mandible fractured by a hammer-like right. In the wee hours of Saturday morning, he shared an radiograph, with the pair of breaks highlighted in crimson.

That jokey nod to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a much superior boxer than Joshua but a similarly faded force, showed that Paul's brazen audacity is undented. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will soon locate another opponent with whom he can make north of $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before leaving for the hospital, Paul expelled a tracer of blood onto the canvas. It was another bleak symbol of the evening as Paul mangled harsh reality with blood-flecked bravado and said: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A nice little beating from one of the greatest to ever step in the ring. I love this sport and I'm going to come back and keep on winning."