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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's jaw dropped wide open, his expression turning to wide, stunned circles as he collapsed to the canvas in stunned disbelief after a devastating right hand from the former champion. It looked as if Paul was attempting to say "Wow!" as the severity of the blow sank in to his scrambled senses.

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

Trapped in a corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could no longer run or hold on to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the gravity of boxing became clear. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the punch that fractured his mandible in two distinct locations, Paul was lost in an completely dazed moment.

So this is how it is like, and looks, to be struck cleanly by a genuine boxer, an Olympic champion and former world heavyweight champion. "Wow" is indeed the appropriate term.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been sent to the floor, but the consequences of a clean punch meant Paul would not be able to rise and waggle his tongue defiantly before the referee waved the contest over. As blood began to leak from his mouth, and a numbing throb spread through his jawbone, Paul at last understood how hard, grueling, and perilous boxing is at a respectable standard of professionalism.

An Unimpressive Impressive Win for the Victor

Joshua, it must be noted, was not impressive amid the bedlam. After his hollow victory, he performed a cut-throat motion that hinted at a precise and deadly finish when, in truth, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for the majority of the contest. Instead of glowering with menace or exhibiting an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had seemed hesitant and awkward for almost 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 frequently as he could for a rest, Paul was rendered helpless by fatigue. Joshua applied the vicious ending, but, until then, he had seemed a sad imitation of the fighter he had been in 2017.

The Winner's Post-Fight Comments

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

Joshua commended Paul's courage but he offered an explanation for his own labored showing. "He faced a real fighter tonight that's had a fifteen-month hiatus," Joshua said, mentioning his previous defeat. "We shook off the cobwebs, and I can't wait to head into 2026."

What Comes Next: Faded Forces and New Talent

In the post-fight interview that followed, a jovial Joshua tried out a woeful imitation of Tyson Fury as he called for a scrap against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will probably get his wish, but that bout comes much too late in their careers. Both fighters are on the downward slope of the peak.

In stark contrast, the most interesting heavyweights in the world remain Oleksandr Usyk and Moses Itauma. Usyk is still the undoubted ruler of the weight class, 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 required to send Paul into a suitably wowed stupor.

The Defeated Fighter's Unbowed Reaction

But the public gets what the public wants, and that certainly means more pitiful celebrity contests. Paul seemed genuinely proud and brash to have had his mandible fractured by a hammer-like right. In the early hours of Saturday morning, he shared an radiograph, with the pair of breaks highlighted in red.

That jokey nod to the Mexican superstar, a much superior boxer than Joshua but a similarly faded force, demonstrated that Paul's brazen audacity remains undented. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly find another opponent with whom he can earn more than $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before departing to the medical facility, Paul expelled a streak of blood onto the canvas. It was another grim summary of the night as Paul mangled harsh reality with gory bullshit and stated: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A nice little ass-whipping from one of the greatest to ever do it. I adore this shit and I'm going to return and continue winning."