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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's jaw dropped agape, his expression turning to wide, stunned circles as he collapsed to the canvas in stunned disbelief following a devastating right hand from the former champion. It appeared as if Paul was attempting to say "Whoa!" as the force of the impact registered to his scrambled senses.

"The audience didn't pay to see this crap," snapped the referee, encapsulating the sorry affair far more effectively than anyone else could.

Trapped in a corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could no longer run or cling to Joshua's legs in a desperate clinch as the serious reality of the sweet science enveloped him. Instead, as he tried to absorb the punch that broke his jaw in two distinct locations, Paul was lost in an utterly stunned moment.

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

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been knocked down, but the consequences of a clean power shot meant Paul could not get up and waggle his tongue defiantly before the official called the charade to a halt. As blood began to trickle from his mouth, and a numbing throb radiated through his jaw, Paul finally understood how hard, exhausting, and dangerous boxing is at a decent standard of competition.

A Far From Commanding Win for Joshua

Joshua, it must be noted, was far from convincing amid the chaos. After his hollow victory, he performed a cut-throat motion that suggested a clinical and deadly finish when, in reality, Joshua had appeared exasperated for most of the fight. Instead of glowering with menace or exhibiting an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had seemed hesitant and crude for almost five rounds.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a basic essential in elite boxing, dictated the result. Lacking the stamina to flee any more, and reduced to falling to the canvas as often as he could for a rest, Paul was left helpless by exhaustion. Joshua delivered the brutal finish, but, until then, he had seemed a mournful shadow of the fighter he had been in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Comments

"It wasn't the best display," Joshua admitted. "The objective was to catch Jake Paul, corner him and do damage. That has been the request, and that's what was on my mind. It took a little more time than expected, but the straight right finally found its target."

Joshua commended Paul's bravery but he offered an excuse for his own labored performance. "He came up against a real fighter tonight that's had a 15-month layoff," Joshua said, referencing his last loss. "We dusted off the rust, and I am eager to head into 2026."

What Comes Next: Faded Forces and New Talent

In the press conference that followed, a jovial Joshua attempted a woeful impression of Tyson Fury as he called for a scrap against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will probably get his wish, but that bout comes much too late in their careers. Both fighters are on the far side of the hill.

In stark contrast, the most compelling heavyweights in the world are the Ukrainian master and Moses Itauma. Usyk remains the undoubted ruler of the weight class, after defeating both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rising talent. The youthful British heavyweight likely have needed less than half the number of three-minute periods that Joshua needed to send Paul into a suitably wowed state.

Paul's Defiant Response

But the public receives what the public desires, and that undoubtedly means additional pitiful crossover contests. Paul appeared genuinely satisfied and brash to have had his jaw broken by a hammer-like right. In the early hours of Saturday morning, he posted an radiograph, with the two fractures marked in red.

That lighthearted nod to the Mexican superstar, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a equally faded presence, demonstrated that Paul's brazen audacity is undented. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly 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 streak of blood onto the canvas. It was one more bleak symbol of the night as Paul mangled harsh reality with blood-flecked bullshit and said: "I think my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A nice little ass-whipping from one of the best to ever step in the ring. I adore this sport and I'm going to come back and keep on winning."