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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's jaw dropped wide open, his eyes becoming wide, stunned circles as he collapsed to the canvas in shock and awe following a devastating right hand from Anthony Joshua. It looked as if Paul was attempting to say "Wow!" as the severity of the blow registered to his scrambled senses.

"The fans didn't pay to see this rubbish," snapped the referee, encapsulating the dismal spectacle much more succinctly than anyone else managed to.

Trapped in a neutral 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 attempted to withstand the shot that fractured his mandible in two separate places, Paul was lost in an utterly stunned moment.

So that is what it is like, and looks, to be hit hard by a genuine professional fighter, an Olympic gold medallist and former world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is indeed the word.

It was the fourth time the social media star had been knocked down, but the consequences of a clean power shot meant Paul could not get up and taunt his opponent before the official called the contest over. As blood began to leak from his lips, and a numbing throb radiated through his jaw, Paul finally grasped how difficult, exhausting, and perilous boxing is at a respectable level of professionalism.

A Far From Commanding Win for the Victor

Joshua, it must be noted, was not impressive during the chaos. After his empty victory, he performed a cut-throat motion that suggested a precise and deadly finish when, in truth, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for most of the fight. Instead of exuding intimidation or displaying an iron certainty, Joshua had seemed hesitant and awkward for nearly five stanzas.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a basic essential in top-level boxing, shaped the result. Lacking the stamina to escape any longer, and resorting to slipping to the deck as frequently as he could for a rest, Paul was left helpless by exhaustion. Joshua delivered the brutal ending, but, until then, he had looked like a sad shadow of the boxer he had been in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Comments

"That was not the best display," Joshua conceded. "The objective 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 little more time than anticipated, but the right hand eventually reached its target."

Joshua commended Paul's courage but he added an excuse for his own labored performance. "He faced a genuine competitor tonight that's had a fifteen-month hiatus," Joshua said, referencing his previous defeat. "We shook off the rust, and I am eager to head into 2026."

What Comes Next: Past Their Prime and Rising Stars

In the press conference that followed, a cheerful Joshua tried out a poor impression of his domestic rival as he called for a scrap against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will probably get his wish, but that bout comes far too late in their professional journeys. Both fighters are on the downward slope of the peak.

In stark contrast, the most interesting heavyweights in the world remain Oleksandr Usyk and the British prospect. Usyk is still the unquestioned ruler of the weight class, after defeating both Joshua and Fury twice. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rapidly ascending force. The young British heavyweight would probably have required less than half the number of rounds that Joshua needed to knock Paul into a appropriately astonished state.

Paul's Unbowed Response

But the fans gets what the public desires, and that undoubtedly means more low-quality crossover contests. Paul seemed genuinely proud and cocky to have had his mandible fractured by a sledgehammer right. In the wee hours of Saturday morning, he shared an X-ray, with the pair of breaks marked in crimson.

That jokey nod to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a much superior boxer than Joshua but a similarly faded force, showed that Paul's comic chutzpah is undented. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will soon locate another opponent with whom he can make north of $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before departing to the medical facility, Paul expelled a streak of blood onto the ring floor. It was another bleak summary of the night as Paul mixed blunt truth with blood-flecked bullshit and stated: "I think my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A nice little beating 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."