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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's jaw dropped agape, his eyes becoming huge glazed saucers as he collapsed to the canvas in shock and awe after a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It appeared as if Paul was trying to utter "Whoa!" as the force of the impact sank in to his scrambled senses.

"The audience didn't pay to see this garbage," said the referee, encapsulating the dismal spectacle much more succinctly than anyone else could.

Pinned in a neutral corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could no longer run or cling to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the serious reality of boxing enveloped him. Instead, as he tried to absorb the punch that broke his jaw in two separate places, Paul was lost in an completely stunned moment.

So that is what it is like, and appears, to be hit hard by a real professional fighter, an Olympic gold medallist and former world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is certainly 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 referee called the contest to a halt. As blood began to leak from his lips, and a dull ache radiated through his jaw, Paul finally grasped how difficult, grueling, and perilous boxing is at a decent level of professionalism.

An Unimpressive Commanding Victory for Joshua

Anthony Joshua, it must be noted, was far from convincing during the chaos. After his hollow victory, he performed a cut-throat motion that suggested a clinical and lethal execution when, in truth, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for the majority of the contest. Instead of exuding intimidation or exhibiting an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had appeared tentative and awkward for almost five stanzas.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a fundamental requirement in elite boxing, shaped the result. Lacking the stamina to escape any longer, and resorting to falling to the canvas as often as he could for a breather, Paul was left defenseless by exhaustion. Joshua delivered the brutal ending, but, until then, he had seemed a sad shadow of the boxer he had been in 2017.

Joshua's Aftermath Assessment

"That was not the finest performance," Joshua conceded. "The objective was to get Jake Paul, corner him and do damage. That has been the request, and that's what was on my mind. It took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand finally found its destination."

Joshua praised Paul's bravery but he offered an explanation for his own labored showing. "He faced a real fighter tonight that's had a 15-month hiatus," Joshua said, referencing his last loss. "We dusted off the rust, and I can't wait to head into 2026."

The Future: Past Their Prime and New Talent

In the post-fight interview that followed, a jovial Joshua tried out a woeful impression of Tyson Fury as he called for a scrap against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will probably have his way, but that bout comes far too late in their professional journeys. Both fighters are on the far side of the peak.

In contrast, the most interesting heavyweights in the world are the Ukrainian master and the British prospect. Usyk is still the unquestioned king of the weight class, having beaten both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. At the same time, Itauma is a rising talent. The youthful British heavyweight would probably have required fewer than half the number of three-minute periods that Joshua needed to send Paul into a suitably wowed stupor.

Paul's Unbowed Response

But the fans receives what the public wants, and that certainly means additional low-quality crossover fights. Paul seemed truly proud and cocky to have had his jaw broken by a sledgehammer right. In the early hours of the next day, he posted an X-ray, with the two fractures highlighted in red.

That lighthearted nod to the Mexican superstar, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a similarly faded force, showed that Paul's comic chutzpah is undented. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly locate someone else with whom he can earn north of $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before leaving for the medical facility, Paul spat a tracer of blood onto the ring floor. It was one more grim symbol 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 proper beating from one of the greatest to ever do it. I adore this sport and I'm going to return and continue winning."