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Jake Paul's jaw dropped agape, his expression turning to huge glazed saucers as he sank to the canvas in stunned disbelief after a pulverising right hand from Anthony Joshua. It appeared as if Paul was trying to utter "Wow!" as the severity of the impact registered to his rattled senses.

"Those watching didn't pay to see this rubbish," said the referee, encapsulating the sorry affair far more effectively than any observer else managed to.

Trapped in a neutral corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could not retreat or hold on to Joshua's legs in a desperate clinch as the serious reality of the sweet science enveloped him. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the shot that broke his jaw in two separate places, Paul was caught in an utterly dazed moment.

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

It was the fourth time the social media star had been sent to the floor, but the result of a clean punch meant Paul could not rise and taunt his opponent before the official waved the contest to a halt. As blood began to trickle from his mouth, and a dull ache spread through his jawbone, Paul finally grasped how difficult, grueling, and perilous boxing is at a decent level of professionalism.

An Unimpressive Impressive Win for the Victor

Anthony Joshua, it should be stressed, was not impressive during the chaos. After his hollow victory, he performed a cut-throat motion that hinted at a precise and deadly finish when, in truth, Joshua had appeared exasperated for most of the fight. Rather than exuding intimidation or exhibiting an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had appeared hesitant and awkward for nearly five rounds.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a fundamental requirement in elite boxing, dictated the outcome. Without the gas to flee any more, and resorting to slipping to the canvas as frequently as he could for a rest, Paul was left defenseless by fatigue. Joshua applied the brutal ending, but, until then, he had looked like a sad shadow of the boxer he had been in 2017.

The Winner's Aftermath Assessment

"That was not the finest performance," Joshua admitted. "The end goal was to catch Jake Paul, pin him down and hurt him. That has been the request, and that's what was on my mind. It took a little more time than anticipated, but the straight right eventually found its target."

Joshua commended Paul's courage but he offered an excuse for his own labored performance. "He came up against a real fighter tonight that's had a 15-month layoff," Joshua said, mentioning his previous defeat. "We shook off the cobwebs, and I can't wait to roll into 2026."

The Future: Past Their Prime and New Talent

In the post-fight interview that followed, a jovial Joshua attempted a poor imitation of his domestic rival as he demanded a fight against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will probably have his way, but that matchup comes far too late in their professional journeys. Both fighters are on the downward slope of the hill.

In contrast, the most interesting heavyweights in the world are the Ukrainian master and the British prospect. Usyk remains the undoubted king of the weight class, after defeating both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. At the same time, Itauma is a rising force. The young British heavyweight would probably have required fewer than half the amount of rounds that Joshua needed to send Paul into a suitably wowed stupor.

Paul's Defiant Reaction

But the public gets what the public desires, and that certainly means more pitiful crossover fights. Paul appeared genuinely satisfied and brash to have had his mandible fractured by a sledgehammer right. In the wee hours of Saturday morning, he shared an radiograph, with the pair of breaks highlighted in red.

That lighthearted reference to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a much superior boxer than Joshua but a similarly faded force, showed that Paul's brazen audacity is unbroken. It might 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 leaving for the medical facility, Paul spat a streak of blood onto the canvas. It was another bleak symbol of the night as Paul mixed blunt truth with blood-flecked bullshit and stated: "I think 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 sport and I'm going to return and continue winning."