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Jake Paul's mouth gaped wide open, his eyes becoming huge glazed saucers as he sank to the canvas in stunned disbelief following a pulverising right hand from Anthony Joshua. It looked as if Paul was attempting to utter "Wow!" as the force of the impact sank in to his rattled senses.

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

Trapped in a neutral corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could not run or cling to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the gravity of boxing became clear. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the shot that fractured his mandible in two separate places, Paul was caught in an utterly dazed moment.

So this is how it feels, and looks, to be hit hard by a real professional fighter, an Olympic gold medallist and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Wow" is certainly the appropriate term.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been knocked down, but the result of a proper punch ensured Paul would not be able to get up and taunt his opponent before the referee called the charade over. As blood began to trickle from his mouth, and a numbing throb spread through his jaw, Paul at last grasped how difficult, grueling, and perilous boxing is at a decent standard of professionalism.

An Unimpressive Commanding Win for Joshua

Anthony Joshua, it must be noted, was far from convincing during the chaos. After his hollow victory, he performed a cut-throat motion that suggested a precise and lethal finish when, in truth, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for most of the contest. Rather than glowering with menace or exhibiting an iron certainty, Joshua had appeared hesitant and awkward for almost five rounds.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a basic essential in elite boxing, dictated the result. Without the gas to flee any more, and resorting to slipping to the deck as frequently as he could for a breather, Paul was left defenseless by fatigue. Joshua delivered the vicious ending, but, until then, he had seemed a sad shadow of the fighter he had been in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Assessment

"It wasn't the best display," Joshua admitted. "The objective was to get Jake Paul, corner him and do damage. That has been the request, and that's what was on my thoughts. It took a little more time than expected, but the right hand finally found its target."

Joshua commended Paul's bravery but he offered an excuse for his own labored performance. "He came up against a real fighter tonight that's had a 15-month hiatus," Joshua said, mentioning his last defeat. "We shook off the rust, and I can't wait 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 his domestic rival as he called for a scrap against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will likely get his wish, 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 remain the Ukrainian master and the British prospect. Usyk remains the undoubted ruler of the weight class, having beaten both Joshua and Fury twice. At the same time, Itauma is a rising talent. The young British heavyweight likely have needed fewer than half the number of rounds that Joshua required to knock Paul into a suitably astonished stupor.

Paul's Unbowed Reaction

But the fans gets what the public desires, and that certainly means more low-quality crossover contests. Paul appeared truly satisfied and cocky to have had his jaw broken by a sledgehammer right. In the wee hours of Saturday morning, he shared an X-ray, with the pair of breaks marked in red.

That jokey reference to the Mexican superstar, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a equally faded force, demonstrated that Paul's brazen audacity remains undented. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will soon locate another opponent with whom he can earn north of $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before departing to the medical facility, Paul expelled a streak of blood onto the ring floor. It was another bleak symbol of the night as Paul mixed harsh reality with gory bullshit and said: "I think my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A proper ass-whipping from one of the best to ever do it. I love this shit and I'm going to return and continue winning."