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Jake Paul's mouth gaped wide open, his expression turning to huge glazed saucers as he sank to the canvas in stunned disbelief following a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It appeared as if Paul was trying to utter "Whoa!" as the severity of the impact registered to his scrambled senses.

"The audience didn't spend money to see this crap," snapped the referee, encapsulating the dismal spectacle much more effectively than anyone else could.

Pinned in a neutral corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could not run or hold on to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the gravity of the sweet science enveloped him. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the punch that broke his jaw in two distinct locations, Paul was caught in an utterly stunned moment.

So that is what it feels, and looks, to be struck cleanly by a genuine professional fighter, an Olympic gold medallist and former world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is indeed the appropriate term.

It was the fourth time the social media star had been sent to the floor, but the consequences of a proper power shot meant Paul could not get up and taunt his opponent before the official called the contest over. As blood began to trickle from his mouth, and a dull ache radiated through his jawbone, Paul at last grasped how hard, grueling, and dangerous boxing is at a respectable standard of competition.

A Far From Impressive Victory for Joshua

Joshua, it must be noted, was far from convincing amid the chaos. After his empty victory, he made a cut-throat motion that suggested a clinical and lethal finish when, in reality, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for most of the fight. Instead of exuding intimidation or exhibiting an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had seemed tentative and awkward for nearly five stanzas.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a fundamental requirement in elite boxing, shaped the outcome. Without the gas to flee any longer, and resorting to falling to the deck as frequently as he could for a rest, Paul was left helpless by fatigue. Joshua delivered the vicious ending, but, up to that point, he had seemed a sad shadow of the boxer he had been in 2017.

The Winner's Aftermath Comments

"That was not the finest display," Joshua conceded. "The end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and do damage. That has been the request, and that's what was on my mind. It took a little more time than anticipated, but the right hand finally found its destination."

Joshua praised Paul's bravery but he added an excuse for his own labored showing. "He came up against a real fighter tonight that's had a 15-month hiatus," Joshua said, referencing his last loss. "We shook off the rust, and I am eager to head into 2026."

The Future: Past Their Prime and New Talent

In the post-fight interview afterwards, a cheerful Joshua attempted a poor imitation of Tyson Fury as he demanded a scrap against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will probably get his wish, but that matchup comes far too late in their professional journeys. Both fighters are on the downward slope of the peak.

In stark contrast, the most compelling heavyweights in the world remain Oleksandr Usyk and Moses Itauma. Usyk is still the undoubted ruler of the weight class, having beaten both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rapidly ascending force. The young British heavyweight likely have required fewer than half the number of three-minute periods that Joshua required to send Paul into a suitably wowed stupor.

The Defeated Fighter's Defiant Reaction

But the public receives what the public desires, and that certainly means additional low-quality celebrity contests. Paul seemed genuinely proud and cocky to have had his jaw broken by a hammer-like right. In the early hours of Saturday morning, he shared an radiograph, with the pair of breaks highlighted in crimson.

That jokey nod to the Mexican superstar, a much superior fighter than Joshua but a similarly diminished force, showed that Paul's brazen audacity is undented. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will soon find someone else with whom he can earn north of $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before departing to the medical facility, Paul spat a streak of blood onto the ring floor. It was another bleak symbol of the evening as Paul mixed 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 best to ever do it. I love this shit and I'm going to come back and continue winning."