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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's jaw dropped wide open, his eyes becoming huge glazed saucers 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 scrambled senses.

"Those watching didn't pay to see this rubbish," said the referee, summing up the dismal affair far more succinctly than any observer else could.

Trapped in a neutral corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could not retreat or hold on to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the serious reality of the sweet science became clear. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the shot that broke his jaw in two distinct locations, Paul was lost in an utterly stunned moment.

So this is how it feels, and appears, to be hit hard by a genuine boxer, an Olympic gold medallist and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Wow" is indeed the word.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been sent to the floor, but the result of a proper punch meant Paul could not rise and taunt his opponent before the official waved the charade to a halt. As blood began to leak from his lips, and a dull ache spread through his jaw, Paul finally understood how hard, exhausting, and perilous boxing is at a respectable level of competition.

A Far From Impressive Victory for Joshua

Joshua, it should be stressed, was not impressive amid the bedlam. After his empty victory, he made a cut-throat motion that suggested a precise and lethal execution when, in reality, Joshua had appeared exasperated for the majority of the fight. Instead of exuding intimidation or exhibiting an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had seemed tentative and awkward for almost five rounds.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a fundamental requirement in elite boxing, shaped the outcome. Without the gas to escape any more, and resorting to falling to the canvas as frequently as he could for a rest, Paul was left helpless by exhaustion. Joshua applied the vicious ending, but, up to that point, he had seemed a sad shadow of the boxer he was in 2017.

The Winner's Post-Fight Comments

"It wasn't the finest performance," Joshua admitted. "The objective was to get Jake Paul, corner him and hurt him. 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 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, mentioning his last loss. "We shook off the rust, and I can't wait to head into 2026."

What Comes Next: Faded Forces and Rising Stars

In the press conference that followed, a jovial Joshua tried out a poor impression of Tyson Fury as he demanded a scrap against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will probably get his wish, 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 heavyweights in the world are Oleksandr Usyk and Moses Itauma. Usyk is still the undoubted ruler of the weight class, having beaten both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rapidly ascending force. The youthful British heavyweight would probably have needed fewer than half the amount of three-minute periods that Joshua needed to send Paul into a appropriately astonished state.

Paul's Unbowed Reaction

But the fans gets what the public wants, and that certainly means more pitiful crossover fights. Paul seemed genuinely satisfied and cocky to have had his mandible fractured by a sledgehammer right. In the wee hours of the next day, he posted an radiograph, with the two fractures marked in crimson.

That jokey nod to the Mexican superstar, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a similarly diminished presence, showed that Paul's brazen audacity remains unbroken. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly find another opponent with whom he can earn north of $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before leaving for the medical facility, Paul spat a streak of blood onto the ring floor. It was another grim summary of the evening as Paul mixed blunt truth with blood-flecked bullshit and said: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A nice little 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 continue winning."