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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's mouth gaped agape, his eyes becoming wide, stunned circles as he collapsed to the mat in shock and awe after a devastating right hand from Anthony Joshua. It looked as if Paul was attempting to utter "Whoa!" as the severity of the impact registered to his rattled senses.

"The fans didn't spend money to see this garbage," snapped the referee, encapsulating the dismal spectacle far more effectively than anyone else could.

Pinned in a corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could no longer retreat or hold on to Joshua's legs in a desperate clinch as the serious reality of boxing enveloped him. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the punch that fractured his mandible in two distinct locations, Paul was caught in an utterly dazed moment.

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

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been sent to the floor, but the result of a proper punch ensured Paul could not rise and taunt his opponent before the official waved the contest over. As blood began to leak from his lips, and a numbing throb radiated through his jaw, Paul finally understood how hard, grueling, and perilous boxing is at a respectable level of competition.

An Unimpressive Impressive Victory for the Victor

Anthony Joshua, it should be stressed, was far from convincing during the chaos. After his hollow victory, he performed a cut-throat motion that suggested a clinical and deadly execution when, in truth, Joshua had appeared exasperated for the majority of the contest. Rather than glowering with menace or exhibiting an iron certainty, Joshua had appeared hesitant and crude for nearly five stanzas.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a basic essential in top-level boxing, shaped the result. Lacking the stamina to flee any longer, and reduced to falling to the canvas as frequently as he could for a breather, Paul was left defenseless by fatigue. Joshua delivered the brutal ending, but, up to that point, he had looked like a mournful shadow of the boxer he had been in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Assessment

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

Joshua praised Paul's bravery but he added an explanation for his own labored performance. "He faced a genuine competitor tonight that's had a 15-month hiatus," Joshua said, mentioning his last loss. "We dusted off the cobwebs, and I can't wait to roll into 2026."

What Comes Next: Past Their Prime and Rising Stars

In the post-fight interview that followed, a cheerful Joshua tried out a woeful imitation of his domestic rival as he called for a fight against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will probably get his wish, but that bout comes far too late in their careers. Both fighters are on the far side of the hill.

In contrast, the most compelling heavyweights in the world remain the Ukrainian master and the British prospect. Usyk remains the unquestioned king of the weight class, having beaten both Joshua and Fury twice. At the same time, Itauma is a rising talent. The youthful British heavyweight would probably have required less than half the number of three-minute periods that Joshua needed to knock Paul into a appropriately wowed state.

Paul's Unbowed Reaction

But the fans receives what the public wants, and that certainly means more low-quality crossover fights. Paul appeared truly satisfied and brash to have had his mandible fractured by a sledgehammer right. In the early hours of Saturday morning, he shared an radiograph, with the pair of breaks highlighted in crimson.

That jokey nod to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a much superior boxer than Joshua but a equally faded presence, showed that Paul's comic chutzpah is undented. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly find someone else with whom he can make more than $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before departing to the hospital, Paul spat a tracer of blood onto the canvas. It was another grim summary of the night as Paul mangled harsh reality with blood-flecked bravado and said: "I think my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A proper beating from one of the best to ever do it. I adore this sport and I'm going to come back and continue winning."