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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's mouth gaped wide open, his eyes becoming huge glazed saucers as he collapsed to the mat in shock and awe following a devastating right hand from the former champion. It appeared as if Paul was attempting to say "Wow!" as the severity of the impact registered to his rattled senses.

"The fans didn't pay to see this garbage," said the referee, encapsulating the dismal spectacle much more effectively than anyone else managed to.

Pinned 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 serious reality of the sweet science became clear. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the shot that broke his jaw in two distinct locations, Paul was lost in an completely dazed moment.

So this is how it feels, and looks, to be hit hard by a genuine boxer, an Olympic champion and former world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is indeed the word.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been knocked down, but the consequences of a clean punch ensured Paul could not rise and taunt his opponent before the official called the contest to a halt. As blood began to trickle from his mouth, and a numbing throb spread through his jawbone, Paul at last understood how hard, exhausting, and perilous boxing is at a respectable standard of competition.

A Far From Commanding Victory for the Victor

Joshua, it must be noted, was not impressive during the bedlam. After his empty victory, he made a throat-slitting gesture that hinted at a precise and lethal finish when, in truth, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for most of the fight. Rather than glowering with menace or exhibiting an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had appeared tentative and crude for almost five rounds.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a basic essential in top-level boxing, dictated the outcome. Without the gas to flee any more, and reduced to falling to the canvas as often as he could for a rest, Paul was left helpless by exhaustion. Joshua applied the vicious finish, but, until then, he had seemed a sad imitation of the boxer he had been in 2017.

The Winner's Aftermath Assessment

"It wasn't the finest performance," Joshua admitted. "The end goal was to get Jake Paul, corner him and hurt him. That has been the plan, and that's what was on my mind. It took a little more time than expected, but the straight right eventually found its target."

Joshua praised Paul's courage but he added an excuse for his own labored showing. "He came up against a genuine competitor tonight that's had a 15-month layoff," Joshua said, mentioning his previous loss. "We shook off the rust, and I am eager to roll into 2026."

The Future: Past Their Prime and New Talent

In the press conference afterwards, a jovial Joshua tried out a poor imitation of Tyson Fury as he called for a fight against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will probably get his wish, but that matchup comes much too late in their professional journeys. Both fighters are on the far side of the peak.

In contrast, the most compelling big men in the world are Oleksandr Usyk and Moses Itauma. Usyk is still the unquestioned ruler of the weight class, having beaten both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rapidly ascending talent. The youthful British heavyweight would probably have needed fewer than half the amount of rounds that Joshua needed to send Paul into a suitably wowed stupor.

The Defeated Fighter's Defiant Reaction

But the fans gets what the public wants, and that undoubtedly means additional pitiful celebrity fights. Paul appeared genuinely proud and cocky to have had his jaw broken by a sledgehammer right. In the early hours of the next day, he shared an radiograph, with the two fractures highlighted in red.

That jokey nod to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a much superior fighter than Joshua but a similarly faded force, demonstrated that Paul's brazen audacity remains undented. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly find someone else with whom he can make more than $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before leaving for the hospital, Paul expelled a tracer of blood onto the ring floor. It was another bleak symbol of the night as Paul mixed harsh reality with blood-flecked bullshit and stated: "I think my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A nice little beating from one of the best to ever do it. I love this sport and I'm going to come back and keep on winning."