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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's jaw dropped agape, his expression turning to wide, stunned circles as he collapsed to the mat in shock and awe after a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It looked as if Paul was trying to utter "Wow!" as the force of the impact sank in to his rattled senses.

"The audience didn't pay to see this crap," said the referee, summing up the dismal affair far more succinctly than anyone else managed to.

Trapped in a neutral corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could not run or cling to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the gravity of boxing enveloped him. Instead, as he tried to absorb the shot that fractured his mandible in two separate places, Paul was lost in an completely dazed moment.

So this is how it is like, and looks, to be struck cleanly by a genuine professional fighter, an Olympic gold medallist 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 power shot ensured Paul could not get up and waggle his tongue defiantly before the referee called the contest over. As blood began to leak from his lips, and a dull ache spread through his jawbone, Paul at last understood how difficult, exhausting, and perilous boxing is at a decent standard of competition.

A Far From Impressive Victory for the Victor

Joshua, it should be stressed, was not impressive during the chaos. After his hollow victory, he performed a cut-throat motion that hinted at a clinical and deadly finish when, in reality, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for the majority of the fight. Instead of glowering with menace or displaying an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had seemed hesitant and awkward for nearly five stanzas.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a fundamental requirement in elite boxing, shaped the outcome. Lacking the stamina to flee any more, and reduced to falling to the deck as frequently as he could for a rest, Paul was rendered helpless by fatigue. Joshua applied the vicious finish, but, up to that point, he had looked like a mournful shadow of the fighter he had been in 2017.

Joshua's Aftermath Comments

"That was not the finest performance," Joshua admitted. "The objective was to catch Jake Paul, pin him down and do damage. That has been the request, and that's what was on my thoughts. It took a bit longer than expected, but the straight right eventually found its destination."

Joshua commended Paul's bravery but he added an excuse for his own labored performance. "He faced a genuine competitor tonight that's had a 15-month layoff," Joshua said, referencing his previous defeat. "We shook off the cobwebs, and I am eager to head into 2026."

What Comes Next: Faded Forces and Rising Stars

In the post-fight interview afterwards, a cheerful Joshua tried out a poor impression of his domestic rival as he demanded a scrap against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will likely have his way, but that matchup comes much too late in their professional journeys. Both men are on the downward slope of the peak.

In stark contrast, the most compelling big men in the world remain the Ukrainian master and the British prospect. Usyk is still the unquestioned king of the weight class, after defeating both Joshua and Fury twice. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rising force. The young British heavyweight would probably have required fewer than half the number of three-minute periods that Joshua needed to knock Paul into a suitably wowed stupor.

Paul's Unbowed Reaction

But the fans gets what the public wants, and that undoubtedly means additional low-quality celebrity fights. Paul seemed truly satisfied and brash to have had his jaw broken by a hammer-like right. In the early hours of the next day, he posted an X-ray, with the pair of breaks marked in red.

That jokey nod to the Mexican superstar, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a equally faded force, showed that Paul's comic chutzpah is unbroken. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly find someone else with whom he can earn north of $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before leaving for the hospital, Paul spat a streak of blood onto the canvas. It was one more bleak summary of the evening 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."