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Jake Paul's mouth gaped agape, his expression turning to wide, stunned circles as he sank to the mat in shock and awe after a pulverising right hand from Anthony Joshua. It appeared as if Paul was trying to say "Wow!" as the severity of the impact registered to his scrambled senses.

"The audience didn't spend money to see this rubbish," snapped the referee, encapsulating the sorry affair far more effectively than any observer else could.

Pinned in a corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could no longer run or cling 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 lost in an utterly dazed moment.

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

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been sent to the floor, but the consequences of a proper punch ensured Paul would not be able to rise and taunt his opponent before the official called the contest over. As blood began to leak from his lips, and a numbing throb spread through his jaw, Paul at last grasped how difficult, exhausting, and dangerous boxing is at a decent level of competition.

An Unimpressive Commanding Win for Joshua

Joshua, it must be noted, was not impressive during the bedlam. After his empty victory, he performed a throat-slitting gesture that suggested a precise and deadly finish when, in truth, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for the majority of the fight. Rather than exuding intimidation or displaying an iron certainty, Joshua had seemed hesitant and crude for almost five rounds.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a fundamental requirement in elite boxing, dictated the outcome. Lacking the stamina to flee any more, and reduced to falling to the canvas as often as he could for a breather, Paul was left defenseless by exhaustion. Joshua applied the vicious ending, but, until then, he had looked like a mournful imitation of the fighter he had been in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Assessment

"It wasn't the best performance," Joshua conceded. "The objective 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 bit longer than anticipated, but the right hand finally found its destination."

Joshua praised Paul's bravery but he offered an excuse for his own stilted performance. "He faced a genuine competitor tonight that's had a fifteen-month hiatus," Joshua said, referencing his previous loss. "We shook off the rust, and I am eager to head into 2026."

The Future: Faded Forces and Rising Stars

In the press conference that followed, a jovial Joshua attempted a poor impression of Tyson Fury as he demanded a fight 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 far side of the hill.

In stark contrast, the most compelling big men in the world are the Ukrainian master and the British prospect. Usyk is still the unquestioned ruler of the weight class, having beaten both Joshua and Fury twice. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rapidly ascending talent. The youthful British heavyweight likely have needed less than half the number of three-minute periods that Joshua needed to send Paul into a suitably astonished state.

Paul's Defiant Reaction

But the fans gets what the public wants, and that certainly means additional pitiful crossover contests. Paul seemed genuinely satisfied and brash to have had his mandible fractured by a hammer-like right. In the early hours of Saturday morning, he shared an X-ray, with the pair of breaks marked in red.

That lighthearted reference to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a much superior fighter than Joshua but a equally diminished presence, showed that Paul's brazen audacity remains unbroken. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will soon find another opponent with whom he can earn more than $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before leaving for the hospital, Paul expelled a streak of blood onto the ring floor. It was one more grim symbol of the night as Paul mangled harsh reality with gory bravado and stated: "I think my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A proper beating from one of the greatest to ever do it. I adore this shit and I'm going to return and keep on winning."