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Jake Paul's mouth gaped agape, 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 looked as if Paul was trying to utter "Wow!" as the severity of the blow sank in to his scrambled senses.

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

Trapped in a corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could no longer run or hold on to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the gravity of boxing became clear. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the punch that broke his jaw in two distinct locations, Paul was lost in an completely stunned moment.

So this is how it feels, and looks, to be hit hard by a genuine professional fighter, an Olympic champion and former world heavyweight champion. "Wow" is certainly the word.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been knocked down, but the result of a proper power shot meant Paul could not get up and waggle his tongue defiantly before the official called the contest to a halt. As blood began to leak from his mouth, and a dull ache spread through his jaw, Paul finally understood how hard, exhausting, and perilous boxing is at a respectable standard of competition.

An Unimpressive Commanding Win for the Victor

Anthony Joshua, it must be noted, was not impressive during the bedlam. After his hollow victory, he made a throat-slitting gesture that suggested a clinical and lethal finish when, in reality, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for the majority of the contest. Instead of glowering with menace or exhibiting an iron certainty, Joshua had appeared hesitant and crude 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 resorting to slipping to the canvas as often as he could for a breather, Paul was rendered helpless by exhaustion. Joshua delivered the vicious ending, but, up to that point, he had seemed a sad imitation of the fighter he had been in 2017.

Joshua's Aftermath Assessment

"It wasn't the best display," Joshua admitted. "The end goal was to catch 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 reached its destination."

Joshua praised Paul's courage but he added an excuse for his own labored showing. "He faced a real fighter tonight that's had a 15-month layoff," Joshua said, referencing his last defeat. "We shook off the rust, and I can't wait to roll into 2026."

What Comes Next: Past Their Prime and New Talent

In the press conference that followed, a cheerful Joshua attempted a poor imitation of his domestic rival as he demanded a scrap against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will likely get his wish, but that bout comes far too late in their professional journeys. Both fighters are on the downward slope of the hill.

In stark contrast, the most compelling big men in the world remain Oleksandr Usyk and Moses Itauma. Usyk remains the undoubted king of the division, after defeating both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. At the same time, Itauma is a rapidly ascending force. The young British heavyweight would probably have required less than half the number of three-minute periods that Joshua required to send Paul into a appropriately wowed state.

Paul's Defiant Reaction

But the public receives what the public desires, and that undoubtedly means more pitiful crossover contests. Paul appeared genuinely satisfied and brash to have had his jaw broken by a hammer-like right. In the early hours of the next day, he shared an X-ray, with the pair of breaks marked in crimson.

That jokey reference to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a much superior boxer than Joshua but a similarly faded force, showed that Paul's brazen audacity is undented. It may 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 expelled a streak of blood onto the canvas. It was another bleak symbol of the night as Paul mixed blunt truth with gory bullshit and said: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A nice little ass-whipping from one of the best to ever step in the ring. I adore this shit and I'm going to return and keep on winning."