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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's jaw dropped agape, his eyes becoming wide, stunned circles as he collapsed to the canvas in stunned disbelief following a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It looked as if Paul was attempting to utter "Wow!" as the severity of the blow registered to his rattled senses.

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

Pinned in a corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could not run or cling to Joshua's legs in a desperate clinch as the serious reality of the sweet science enveloped him. Instead, as he tried to absorb the shot that fractured his mandible in two distinct locations, Paul was caught in an utterly dazed moment.

So this is how it is like, and looks, to be hit hard by a real professional fighter, an Olympic gold medallist and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" 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 get up and taunt his opponent before the referee called the contest to a halt. As blood began to trickle from his lips, and a numbing throb radiated through his jawbone, Paul at last grasped how difficult, exhausting, and dangerous boxing is at a decent standard of competition.

An Unimpressive Impressive Victory for Joshua

Joshua, it should be stressed, was not impressive during the chaos. After his hollow victory, he performed a cut-throat motion that hinted at a clinical and lethal execution when, in truth, Joshua had appeared exasperated for the majority of the fight. Instead of exuding intimidation or exhibiting an iron certainty, Joshua had seemed tentative and awkward for nearly five rounds.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a basic essential in top-level boxing, dictated the result. Lacking the stamina to flee any more, and reduced to falling to the canvas as frequently as he could for a breather, Paul was left helpless by fatigue. Joshua applied the vicious finish, but, up to that point, he had seemed a mournful imitation of the fighter he was in 2017.

The Winner's Post-Fight Comments

"It wasn't the best display," Joshua admitted. "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 eventually found its destination."

Joshua praised Paul's courage but he added an excuse for his own labored performance. "He faced a real fighter tonight that's had a 15-month hiatus," Joshua said, referencing his previous defeat. "We shook off the rust, and I am eager to roll into 2026."

What Comes Next: Faded Forces and Rising Stars

In the post-fight interview afterwards, a cheerful Joshua attempted a woeful impression of his domestic rival as he called for a fight against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will likely have his way, but that bout comes much too late in their professional journeys. Both fighters are on the far side of the hill.

In stark contrast, the most interesting heavyweights in the world are Oleksandr Usyk and Moses Itauma. Usyk is still the undoubted king of the weight class, having beaten both Joshua and Fury twice. At the same time, Itauma is a rapidly ascending talent. The young British heavyweight would probably have required less than half the amount of three-minute periods that Joshua needed to knock Paul into a suitably astonished state.

Paul's Defiant Response

But the fans receives what the public wants, and that certainly means more pitiful crossover fights. Paul appeared genuinely proud and cocky to have had his mandible fractured by a hammer-like right. In the wee hours of Saturday morning, he shared an X-ray, with the two fractures highlighted in red.

That lighthearted nod to the Mexican superstar, a far greater boxer than Joshua but a similarly faded presence, demonstrated that Paul's brazen audacity is undented. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly find someone else with whom he can earn north of $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before departing to the hospital, Paul spat a streak of blood onto the ring floor. It was one more bleak summary of the night as Paul mangled blunt truth with gory bullshit and stated: "I think my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A proper beating from one of the best to ever do it. I adore this sport and I'm going to come back and continue winning."