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Jake Paul's mouth gaped wide open, his eyes becoming huge glazed saucers as he sank to the canvas in stunned disbelief after a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It appeared as if Paul was attempting to say "Wow!" as the severity of the blow registered to his scrambled senses.

"The audience didn't spend money to see this garbage," snapped the referee, summing up the dismal spectacle much more succinctly than any observer else could.

Pinned in a corner of the ring midway through 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 punch that fractured his mandible in two separate places, Paul was lost in an utterly stunned moment.

So that is what it feels, and appears, to be struck cleanly by a real boxer, an Olympic champion and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is indeed the appropriate term.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been knocked down, but the result of a clean power shot ensured Paul would not be able to rise and waggle his tongue defiantly before the referee called the contest over. As blood began to trickle from his mouth, and a dull ache radiated through his jaw, Paul at last grasped how hard, exhausting, and perilous boxing is at a respectable standard of professionalism.

An Unimpressive Commanding Win for Joshua

Joshua, it should be stressed, was not impressive during the chaos. After his hollow victory, he made a throat-slitting gesture that hinted at a precise and lethal finish when, in reality, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for the majority of the fight. Rather than exuding intimidation or displaying an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had seemed hesitant and crude for almost five rounds.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a fundamental requirement in top-level boxing, dictated the result. Lacking the stamina to flee any more, and resorting to falling to the canvas as frequently as he could for a breather, Paul was left helpless by fatigue. Joshua applied the brutal finish, but, until then, he had seemed a sad imitation of the boxer he had been in 2017.

The Winner's Post-Fight Comments

"That was not the best display," Joshua admitted. "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 thoughts. It took a little more time than expected, but the straight right finally reached its target."

Joshua commended Paul's courage but he added an excuse for his own stilted performance. "He faced a real fighter tonight that's had a fifteen-month layoff," Joshua said, referencing his previous loss. "We shook off the rust, and I am eager to roll into 2026."

What Comes Next: Faded Forces and Rising Stars

In the press conference that followed, a cheerful Joshua tried out a poor impression of Tyson Fury as he demanded a fight against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will likely get his wish, 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 compelling heavyweights in the world are the Ukrainian master and Moses Itauma. Usyk remains the unquestioned ruler of the division, having beaten both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rising talent. The young British heavyweight would probably have required less than half the number of rounds that Joshua required to send Paul into a appropriately astonished state.

The Defeated Fighter's Defiant Response

But the public receives what the public wants, and that undoubtedly means additional pitiful celebrity fights. Paul appeared genuinely satisfied and cocky to have had his jaw broken by a hammer-like right. In the wee hours of Saturday morning, he shared an X-ray, with the two fractures marked in crimson.

That jokey reference to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a far greater boxer than Joshua but a similarly faded force, showed that Paul's brazen audacity remains undented. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will soon 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 summary of the night as Paul mangled harsh reality with blood-flecked bravado and said: "I think my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A proper beating from one of the best to ever step in the ring. I love this shit and I'm going to come back and keep on winning."