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Jake Paul's mouth gaped wide open, his eyes becoming wide, stunned circles as he collapsed to the mat in shock and awe after a pulverising right hand from Anthony Joshua. It appeared as if Paul was trying to say "Whoa!" as the force of the impact sank in to his rattled senses.

"The fans didn't spend money to see this crap," said the referee, summing up the dismal affair far more succinctly than anyone else managed to.

Pinned 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 the sweet science became clear. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the punch that broke his jaw in two distinct locations, Paul was lost in an completely dazed moment.

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

It was the fourth time the social media star had been knocked down, but the result of a proper punch meant Paul could not rise and waggle his tongue defiantly before the referee waved the charade over. As blood began to trickle from his mouth, and a numbing throb spread through his jawbone, Paul finally grasped how hard, exhausting, and perilous boxing is at a decent level of competition.

A Far From Commanding Win for Joshua

Anthony Joshua, it should be stressed, was not impressive during the chaos. After his empty victory, he made a cut-throat motion that suggested a precise and deadly finish when, in truth, Joshua had appeared exasperated for most of the fight. Instead of exuding intimidation or displaying an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had appeared hesitant and crude for nearly five stanzas.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a basic essential in elite boxing, dictated the outcome. Lacking the stamina to flee any longer, and reduced to falling to the canvas as often as he could for a breather, Paul was left defenseless by fatigue. Joshua delivered the vicious ending, but, up to that point, he had seemed a sad shadow of the fighter he was in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Assessment

"That was not the finest display," 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 reached its target."

Joshua praised Paul's bravery but he offered an excuse for his own stilted performance. "He faced a genuine competitor tonight that's had a 15-month hiatus," Joshua said, referencing his previous loss. "We dusted off the rust, and I am eager to roll into 2026."

The Future: Faded Forces and New Talent

In the press conference that followed, a jovial Joshua tried out a woeful impression of his domestic rival as he called for a scrap against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will probably have his way, but that matchup comes far too late in their careers. Both men are on the far side of the hill.

In stark contrast, the most interesting big men in the world are the Ukrainian master and the British prospect. Usyk remains the undoubted ruler of the division, having beaten both Joshua and Fury twice. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rising force. The youthful British heavyweight would probably have needed less than half the number of rounds that Joshua required to knock Paul into a appropriately astonished state.

The Defeated Fighter's Defiant Reaction

But the public receives what the public wants, and that undoubtedly means additional low-quality crossover contests. Paul seemed truly proud and brash to have had his mandible fractured by a sledgehammer right. In the wee hours of the next day, he shared an X-ray, with the pair of breaks highlighted in red.

That jokey nod to the Mexican superstar, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a equally faded presence, showed that Paul's comic chutzpah remains unbroken. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly find another opponent with whom he can make more than $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before leaving for the medical facility, Paul expelled a tracer of blood onto the ring floor. It was another bleak symbol of the night as Paul mangled harsh reality with blood-flecked bravado and said: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A proper ass-whipping from one of the greatest to ever step in the ring. I adore this sport and I'm going to come back and keep on winning."