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Jake Paul's jaw dropped wide open, his eyes becoming huge glazed saucers as he sank to the canvas in shock and awe following a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It looked as if Paul was trying to say "Wow!" as the force of the impact sank in to his scrambled senses.

"The audience didn't pay to see this garbage," snapped the referee, encapsulating the dismal spectacle much more succinctly than any observer else managed to.

Pinned in a corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could no longer retreat or cling to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the gravity of the sweet science enveloped him. Instead, as he tried to absorb the shot that fractured his mandible in two separate places, Paul was lost in an completely dazed moment.

So this is how it feels, 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 social media star had been sent to the floor, but the result of a clean punch ensured Paul would not be able to get up and taunt his opponent before the referee called the contest over. As blood began to trickle from his mouth, and a numbing throb spread through his jaw, Paul at last understood how hard, exhausting, and perilous boxing is at a decent level of professionalism.

A Far From Impressive Win for Joshua

Joshua, it should be stressed, was far from convincing during the bedlam. After his empty victory, he made a throat-slitting gesture that hinted at a precise and lethal finish when, in truth, Joshua had appeared exasperated for most of the fight. Rather than exuding intimidation or displaying an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had seemed tentative and crude for nearly five stanzas.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a basic essential in elite boxing, dictated the outcome. Lacking the stamina to escape any longer, and reduced to falling to the deck as frequently as he could for a rest, Paul was rendered defenseless by fatigue. Joshua applied the vicious finish, but, until then, he had looked like a sad shadow of the boxer he had been in 2017.

The Winner's Post-Fight Comments

"It wasn't the best performance," Joshua admitted. "The objective was to get Jake Paul, corner him and do damage. That has been the plan, 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 bravery but he offered an explanation for his own labored showing. "He came up against a genuine competitor tonight that's had a fifteen-month hiatus," Joshua said, referencing his last defeat. "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 cheerful Joshua attempted a poor imitation of his domestic rival as he called for a scrap against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will likely get his wish, but that matchup comes much too late in their professional journeys. Both men are on the downward slope of the peak.

In stark contrast, the most interesting big men in the world remain the Ukrainian master and Moses Itauma. Usyk is still the unquestioned king of the division, after defeating both Joshua and Fury twice. At the same time, Itauma is a rising force. The young British heavyweight likely have required fewer than half the amount of rounds that Joshua needed to knock Paul into a appropriately astonished state.

Paul's Defiant Reaction

But the fans gets what the public wants, and that undoubtedly means additional low-quality crossover fights. Paul appeared genuinely satisfied and brash to have had his mandible fractured by a sledgehammer right. In the early hours of Saturday morning, he posted an X-ray, with the pair of breaks highlighted in crimson.

That jokey nod to the Mexican superstar, a much superior boxer than Joshua but a equally faded presence, demonstrated that Paul's brazen audacity remains undented. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly find someone else with whom he can earn more than $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before leaving for the medical facility, Paul spat a tracer of blood onto the ring floor. It was one more bleak summary of the evening as Paul mangled harsh reality with blood-flecked 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 come back and keep on winning."