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

"Those watching didn't pay to see this crap," snapped the referee, summing up the sorry spectacle much more succinctly than anyone else managed to.

Trapped in a corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could no longer run or cling to Joshua's legs in a desperate clinch as the gravity of the sweet science enveloped him. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the punch that fractured his mandible in two distinct locations, Paul was caught in an completely stunned moment.

So this is how it is like, and looks, to be hit hard by a real boxer, an Olympic gold medallist 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 result of a clean power shot meant Paul could not rise and taunt his opponent before the official waved the contest to a halt. As blood began to leak from his lips, and a numbing throb spread through his jawbone, Paul finally grasped how difficult, grueling, and dangerous boxing is at a respectable level of professionalism.

A Far From Commanding Win for the Victor

Anthony Joshua, it must be noted, was far from convincing during the bedlam. After his hollow victory, he made a cut-throat motion that suggested a precise and lethal execution when, in truth, Joshua had appeared exasperated for most of the contest. Instead of exuding intimidation or exhibiting an iron certainty, Joshua had seemed tentative and crude for almost five rounds.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a basic essential in elite boxing, dictated the outcome. Lacking the stamina to escape any longer, and resorting to slipping to the canvas as frequently as he could for a breather, Paul was rendered defenseless by fatigue. Joshua applied the vicious finish, but, until then, he had seemed a sad imitation of the boxer he had been in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Assessment

"That was not 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 thoughts. It took a little more time than anticipated, but the right hand eventually found its target."

Joshua commended Paul's courage but he offered an excuse for his own labored performance. "He faced a real fighter tonight that's had a 15-month hiatus," Joshua said, mentioning his last defeat. "We dusted 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 attempted a poor imitation of his domestic rival as he called for a scrap against the presently inactive 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 peak.

In contrast, the most interesting big men in the world are Oleksandr Usyk and the British prospect. Usyk remains the undoubted king of the division, after defeating both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rising talent. The youthful 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.

Paul's Defiant Reaction

But the fans gets what the public desires, and that undoubtedly means more low-quality celebrity contests. Paul appeared genuinely proud and cocky to have had his mandible fractured by a hammer-like right. In the early hours of Saturday morning, he shared an radiograph, with the two fractures highlighted in red.

That lighthearted nod to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a much superior boxer than Joshua but a equally faded presence, showed that Paul's brazen audacity remains undented. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will soon locate another opponent with whom he can make more than $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before departing to the hospital, Paul spat a streak of blood onto the canvas. It was one more grim symbol of the evening as Paul mangled harsh reality with gory bravado and stated: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A proper ass-whipping from one of the greatest to ever step in the ring. I love this sport and I'm going to return and continue winning."