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Jake Paul's jaw dropped wide open, his expression turning to huge glazed saucers as he sank to the mat in shock and awe after a pulverising right hand from Anthony Joshua. It looked as if Paul was attempting to utter "Whoa!" as the severity of the impact sank in to his scrambled senses.

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

Trapped in a neutral corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could no longer run or hold on to Joshua's legs in a desperate clinch as the gravity of boxing became clear. Instead, as he tried to absorb the punch that broke his jaw in two separate places, Paul was caught in an completely dazed moment.

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

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been knocked down, but the result of a clean punch meant Paul could not get up and taunt his opponent before the referee waved the charade over. As blood began to trickle from his mouth, and a numbing throb radiated through his jaw, Paul at last understood how hard, grueling, and perilous boxing is at a respectable standard of professionalism.

An Unimpressive Impressive Win for Joshua

Anthony Joshua, it should be stressed, was not impressive during the chaos. After his hollow victory, he performed a cut-throat motion that hinted at a precise and deadly execution when, in reality, Joshua had appeared exasperated for most of the fight. Instead of exuding intimidation or exhibiting an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had seemed tentative and crude for nearly five rounds.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a basic essential in top-level boxing, shaped the result. Without the gas to escape any longer, and resorting to falling to the canvas as frequently as he could for a rest, Paul was rendered helpless by fatigue. Joshua applied the vicious ending, but, until then, he had seemed a sad shadow of the fighter he had been in 2017.

The Winner's Aftermath Comments

"It wasn't 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 mind. It took a little more time than expected, but the right hand eventually found its destination."

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

What Comes Next: Past Their Prime and New Talent

In the press conference afterwards, a cheerful Joshua tried out a poor impression of Tyson Fury as he demanded a fight against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will likely have his way, but that bout comes much too late in their careers. Both fighters are on the downward slope of the hill.

In stark contrast, the most compelling big men in the world remain Oleksandr Usyk and the British prospect. Usyk is still the unquestioned king of the division, having beaten both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rising talent. The young British heavyweight likely have needed less than half the amount of rounds that Joshua needed to send Paul into a appropriately astonished state.

Paul's Unbowed Response

But the public gets what the public desires, and that certainly means additional pitiful celebrity fights. Paul seemed truly satisfied and brash to have had his mandible fractured by a hammer-like right. In the wee hours of Saturday morning, he posted an radiograph, with the pair of breaks marked in crimson.

That lighthearted reference to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a much superior boxer than Joshua but a similarly diminished force, demonstrated that Paul's brazen audacity is unbroken. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly locate someone else with whom he can make north of $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before departing to the medical facility, Paul spat a tracer of blood onto the ring floor. It was one more bleak summary of the evening as Paul mixed harsh reality with blood-flecked bravado and said: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A nice little ass-whipping from one of the best to ever step in the ring. I love this sport and I'm going to come back and continue winning."