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Jake Paul's jaw dropped agape, his expression turning to huge glazed saucers as he collapsed to the canvas in shock and awe after a devastating right hand from Anthony Joshua. It looked as if Paul was attempting to say "Wow!" as the severity of the blow sank in to his scrambled senses.

"The audience didn't spend money to see this rubbish," said the referee, summing up the sorry spectacle far more effectively than any observer else could.

Pinned in a neutral corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could no longer run or hold on to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the serious reality of the sweet science enveloped him. Instead, as he tried to absorb the punch that fractured his mandible in two separate places, Paul was caught in an utterly dazed moment.

So this is how it is like, and appears, to be struck cleanly by a genuine boxer, an Olympic champion and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Wow" is certainly the appropriate term.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been knocked down, but the result of a clean power shot ensured Paul would not be able to rise and taunt his opponent before the official called the contest to a halt. As blood began to leak from his mouth, and a dull ache radiated through his jawbone, Paul at last grasped how difficult, exhausting, and perilous boxing is at a decent level of competition.

An Unimpressive Commanding Victory for the Victor

Anthony Joshua, it should be stressed, was far from convincing during the bedlam. After his hollow victory, he made a throat-slitting gesture that suggested a clinical and deadly finish when, in reality, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for most of the fight. Instead of glowering with menace or exhibiting an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had appeared hesitant and awkward for nearly five stanzas.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a basic essential in elite boxing, dictated the outcome. Without the gas to flee any more, and resorting to slipping to the canvas as often as he could for a breather, Paul was rendered helpless by exhaustion. Joshua delivered the vicious ending, but, up to that point, he had looked like a sad shadow of the boxer he was in 2017.

The Winner's Aftermath Comments

"That was not the best display," Joshua admitted. "The objective was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and hurt him. That has been the plan, and that's what was on my thoughts. It took a bit longer than anticipated, but the straight right eventually reached its target."

Joshua commended Paul's courage but he added an explanation for his own labored performance. "He faced a real fighter tonight that's had a 15-month layoff," Joshua said, mentioning his last loss. "We shook off the rust, and I can't wait to roll into 2026."

The Future: Past Their Prime and Rising Stars

In the press conference that followed, a cheerful Joshua tried out a poor impression of his domestic rival as he called for a fight against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will likely have his way, but that bout comes far too late in their careers. Both men are on the downward slope of the hill.

In stark contrast, the most compelling heavyweights in the world are the Ukrainian master and Moses Itauma. Usyk is still the unquestioned ruler of the division, after defeating both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. At the same time, Itauma is a rapidly ascending force. The youthful British heavyweight would probably have required fewer than half the amount of rounds that Joshua needed to send Paul into a suitably wowed stupor.

Paul's Defiant Response

But the fans gets what the public wants, and that undoubtedly means additional pitiful celebrity contests. Paul appeared genuinely satisfied and cocky to have had his mandible fractured by a hammer-like right. In the wee hours of the next day, he posted an X-ray, with the two fractures highlighted in crimson.

That lighthearted nod to the Mexican superstar, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a equally diminished force, demonstrated that Paul's brazen audacity is undented. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will soon locate someone else with whom he can earn more than $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before departing to the medical facility, Paul expelled a tracer of blood onto the canvas. It was one more bleak symbol of the evening as Paul mixed harsh reality with gory bullshit and said: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A proper 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."