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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's mouth gaped agape, his eyes becoming huge glazed saucers as he collapsed to the canvas in shock and awe after a devastating right hand from the former champion. It looked as if Paul was trying to utter "Whoa!" as the force of the impact registered to his scrambled senses.

"Those watching didn't pay to see this garbage," snapped the referee, summing up the dismal spectacle far more effectively than anyone else managed to.

Trapped in a neutral 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 tried to absorb the shot that fractured his mandible in two separate places, Paul was caught in an utterly stunned moment.

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

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been sent to the floor, but the consequences of a proper punch ensured Paul would not be able to rise and waggle his tongue defiantly before the official waved the contest to a halt. As blood began to leak from his mouth, and a dull ache radiated through his jawbone, Paul finally grasped how difficult, exhausting, and dangerous boxing is at a respectable level of competition.

A Far From Impressive Victory for Joshua

Joshua, it must be noted, was not impressive during the chaos. After his empty victory, he made a cut-throat motion that hinted at a precise and deadly finish when, in truth, Joshua had appeared exasperated for the majority of the fight. Instead of exuding intimidation or exhibiting an iron certainty, Joshua had appeared tentative and crude for nearly five rounds.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a basic essential in elite boxing, dictated the outcome. Without the gas to flee any more, and resorting to falling to the canvas as frequently as he could for a rest, Paul was rendered defenseless by exhaustion. Joshua applied the brutal ending, but, up to that point, he had looked like a mournful imitation of the boxer he was in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Comments

"It wasn't the finest display," Joshua conceded. "The end goal was to catch Jake Paul, corner him and do damage. That has been the request, and that's what was on my mind. It took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand eventually found its target."

Joshua praised Paul's courage but he added an excuse for his own labored showing. "He came up against a real fighter tonight that's had a 15-month hiatus," Joshua said, referencing his previous loss. "We dusted off the cobwebs, and I am eager to roll into 2026."

The Future: Past Their Prime and Rising Stars

In the post-fight interview afterwards, a jovial Joshua attempted a woeful imitation of Tyson Fury as he demanded a fight against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will likely have his way, but that matchup comes far too late in their careers. Both fighters are on the far side of the peak.

In stark contrast, the most compelling heavyweights in the world are Oleksandr Usyk and Moses Itauma. Usyk is still the undoubted ruler of the division, after defeating both Joshua and Fury twice. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rapidly ascending force. The young British heavyweight would probably have needed fewer than half the number of three-minute periods that Joshua needed to send Paul into a appropriately astonished stupor.

The Defeated Fighter's Defiant Reaction

But the public receives what the public desires, and that undoubtedly means additional pitiful celebrity fights. Paul seemed genuinely proud and brash to have had his jaw broken by a hammer-like right. In the early hours of Saturday morning, he shared an X-ray, with the two fractures highlighted in red.

That jokey nod to the Mexican superstar, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a similarly diminished force, demonstrated that Paul's comic chutzpah is undented. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly find someone else with whom he can earn more than $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before leaving for the hospital, Paul spat a tracer of blood onto the canvas. It was one more grim symbol of the evening as Paul mixed blunt truth with gory bravado and said: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A proper beating from one of the best to ever do it. I love this shit and I'm going to return and continue winning."