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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's jaw dropped agape, his eyes becoming wide, stunned circles as he collapsed to the mat in stunned disbelief following a devastating right hand from the former champion. It looked as if Paul was trying to utter "Whoa!" as the severity of the blow sank in to his scrambled senses.

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

Trapped in a neutral corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could not run or cling to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the serious reality of boxing enveloped him. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the punch that fractured his mandible in two separate places, Paul was lost in an completely stunned moment.

So this is how it feels, and appears, to be hit hard by a real boxer, an Olympic gold medallist and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is indeed the word.

It was the fourth time the social media star had been sent to the floor, but the consequences of a proper punch meant Paul would not be able to rise and waggle his tongue defiantly before the referee called the charade to a halt. As blood began to trickle from his mouth, and a dull ache spread through his jaw, Paul finally grasped how hard, grueling, and dangerous boxing is at a decent standard of competition.

An Unimpressive Commanding Win for Joshua

Anthony Joshua, it should be stressed, was not impressive amid the bedlam. After his hollow victory, he performed a throat-slitting gesture that suggested a precise and lethal execution when, in reality, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for the majority of the contest. Rather than glowering with menace or displaying an iron certainty, Joshua had seemed hesitant and awkward for almost five rounds.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a fundamental requirement in elite boxing, dictated the outcome. Lacking the stamina to escape any more, and resorting to slipping to the canvas as often as he could for a rest, Paul was rendered defenseless by exhaustion. Joshua applied the brutal finish, but, up to that point, he had looked like a sad imitation of the fighter he was in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Comments

"It wasn't the finest performance," Joshua admitted. "The objective was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and do damage. That has been the plan, and that's what was on my thoughts. It took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand finally found its target."

Joshua praised Paul's courage but he offered an excuse for his own stilted performance. "He came up against a genuine competitor tonight that's had a 15-month hiatus," Joshua said, referencing his last defeat. "We shook off the cobwebs, and I am eager to roll into 2026."

The Future: Faded Forces and Rising Stars

In the press conference afterwards, a jovial Joshua tried out a woeful imitation of Tyson Fury as he demanded a scrap against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will likely have his way, but that bout comes much too late in their professional journeys. Both men are on the far side of the peak.

In contrast, the most compelling heavyweights in the world are the Ukrainian master and the British prospect. Usyk is still the undoubted king of the weight class, having beaten both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rapidly ascending force. The youthful British heavyweight likely have needed fewer than half the amount of rounds that Joshua required to send Paul into a suitably astonished stupor.

Paul's Defiant Response

But the fans receives what the public desires, and that undoubtedly means more pitiful celebrity fights. Paul appeared genuinely satisfied and brash to have had his jaw broken by a sledgehammer right. In the early hours of Saturday morning, he posted an radiograph, with the two fractures highlighted in crimson.

That jokey nod to the Mexican superstar, a much superior fighter than Joshua but a similarly diminished presence, showed that Paul's brazen audacity remains unbroken. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly locate another opponent with whom he can make more than $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before leaving for the medical facility, 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 bullshit and said: "I think my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A nice little ass-whipping from one of the greatest to ever do it. I love this sport and I'm going to return and continue winning."