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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's jaw dropped wide open, his expression turning to huge glazed saucers as he collapsed to the canvas in shock and awe following a devastating right hand from the former champion. It appeared as if Paul was trying to say "Whoa!" as the severity of the impact sank in to his rattled senses.

"The fans didn't pay to see this rubbish," said the referee, encapsulating the dismal spectacle far more succinctly than any observer else managed to.

Trapped in a corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could not retreat or cling to Joshua's legs in a desperate clinch as the serious reality of boxing became clear. Instead, as he tried to absorb the shot that fractured his mandible in two distinct locations, Paul was caught in an completely stunned moment.

So this is how it feels, and appears, to be struck cleanly by a real professional fighter, an Olympic gold medallist and former world heavyweight champion. "Wow" is indeed the appropriate term.

It was the fourth time the social media star had been knocked down, but the result of a clean punch meant Paul could not get up and waggle his tongue defiantly before the official waved the contest over. As blood began to trickle from his mouth, and a numbing throb spread through his jaw, Paul finally grasped how difficult, grueling, and perilous boxing is at a decent standard of professionalism.

An Unimpressive Commanding Victory for the Victor

Anthony Joshua, it should be stressed, was far from convincing amid the chaos. After his empty victory, he made a cut-throat motion that hinted at a precise and deadly execution when, in reality, Joshua had appeared exasperated for most of the contest. Rather than exuding intimidation or displaying an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had seemed tentative and crude for almost five stanzas.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a basic essential in elite boxing, dictated the result. Without the gas to flee any longer, and resorting to falling to the canvas as often as he could for a rest, Paul was left defenseless by fatigue. Joshua delivered the brutal ending, but, until then, he had seemed a mournful shadow of the fighter he had been in 2017.

The Winner's Post-Fight Comments

"That was not the best display," Joshua conceded. "The end goal was to get Jake Paul, corner him and hurt him. That has been the request, and that's what was on my thoughts. It took a little more time than expected, but the right hand eventually found its target."

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

What Comes Next: Faded Forces and New Talent

In the press conference that followed, a cheerful Joshua tried out a poor imitation of Tyson Fury as he demanded a scrap against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will likely get his wish, but that bout comes far too late in their professional journeys. Both men are on the downward slope of the peak.

In stark contrast, the most compelling big men in the world remain the Ukrainian master and Moses Itauma. Usyk is still the unquestioned ruler of the division, having beaten both Joshua and Fury twice. At the same time, Itauma is a rising force. The youthful British heavyweight likely have needed less than half the amount of three-minute periods that Joshua required to knock Paul into a appropriately wowed state.

The Defeated Fighter's Unbowed Reaction

But the fans receives what the public wants, and that undoubtedly means more pitiful celebrity contests. Paul appeared truly satisfied and brash to have had his jaw broken by a sledgehammer right. In the wee hours of Saturday morning, he posted an X-ray, with the pair of breaks highlighted in crimson.

That jokey reference to the Mexican superstar, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a equally faded force, showed that Paul's brazen audacity remains undented. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will soon locate someone else with whom he can earn more than $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before leaving for the hospital, Paul expelled 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 said: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A proper ass-whipping from one of the greatest to ever step in the ring. I love this sport and I'm going to return and keep on winning."