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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's mouth gaped wide open, his eyes becoming huge glazed saucers as he sank to the mat in stunned disbelief following a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It looked as if Paul was trying to say "Wow!" as the severity of the impact registered to his rattled senses.

"Those watching didn't spend money to see this garbage," snapped the referee, summing up the dismal affair much more effectively than anyone else managed to.

Pinned in a corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could not retreat or hold on 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 broke his jaw in two distinct locations, Paul was lost in an utterly stunned moment.

So this is how it is like, and looks, to be hit hard by a genuine boxer, an Olympic gold medallist and former world heavyweight champion. "Wow" is certainly the word.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been sent to the floor, but the consequences of a proper power shot ensured Paul could not get up and taunt his opponent before the referee waved the contest over. As blood began to trickle from his lips, and a numbing throb radiated through his jaw, Paul at last understood how difficult, exhausting, and dangerous boxing is at a decent standard of competition.

A Far From Commanding Win for Joshua

Joshua, it should be stressed, was not impressive during the chaos. After his hollow victory, he made a cut-throat motion that hinted at a clinical and lethal finish when, in reality, Joshua had appeared exasperated for most of the fight. Instead of glowering with menace or exhibiting an iron certainty, Joshua had appeared hesitant and awkward for almost five stanzas.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a basic essential in top-level boxing, dictated the result. Without the gas to escape any longer, and resorting to slipping to the canvas as often as he could for a rest, Paul was left defenseless by exhaustion. Joshua applied the brutal finish, but, until then, he had looked like a mournful imitation of the fighter he had been in 2017.

The Winner's Post-Fight Assessment

"It wasn't the best display," Joshua admitted. "The end goal was to get Jake Paul, corner him and hurt him. That has been the plan, and that's what was on my mind. It took a bit longer than anticipated, but the right hand finally reached 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, mentioning his previous defeat. "We shook off the rust, and I am eager to roll into 2026."

The Future: Past Their Prime and Rising Stars

In the post-fight interview that followed, a cheerful Joshua tried out a poor imitation of his domestic rival as he demanded a scrap against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will likely get his wish, but that bout comes much too late in their careers. Both fighters are on the downward slope of the peak.

In stark contrast, the most compelling heavyweights in the world are the Ukrainian master and Moses Itauma. Usyk remains the unquestioned king of the division, after defeating both Joshua and Fury twice. At the same time, Itauma is a rapidly ascending talent. The young British heavyweight would probably have needed less than half the amount of three-minute periods that Joshua required to knock Paul into a suitably astonished state.

The Defeated Fighter's Defiant Response

But the fans gets what the public desires, and that certainly means more pitiful crossover fights. Paul appeared truly satisfied and brash to have had his mandible fractured by a sledgehammer right. In the wee hours of Saturday morning, he posted an X-ray, with the two fractures highlighted in crimson.

That lighthearted reference to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a similarly faded force, demonstrated that Paul's comic chutzpah remains undented. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly locate someone else with whom he can earn north of $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before leaving for the hospital, Paul spat a streak of blood onto the ring floor. It was one more bleak symbol of the evening as Paul mangled harsh reality with gory bravado and said: "I think my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A nice little beating from one of the best to ever do it. I love this sport and I'm going to return and keep on winning."