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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's mouth gaped wide open, his eyes becoming wide, stunned circles as he collapsed to the mat in shock and awe after a devastating right hand from the former champion. It appeared as if Paul was trying to say "Whoa!" as the severity of the impact sank in to his scrambled senses.

"Those watching didn't pay to see this rubbish," snapped the referee, encapsulating the sorry spectacle much more effectively than anyone else managed to.

Trapped in a 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 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 utterly stunned moment.

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

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been sent to the floor, but the consequences of a proper punch meant Paul would not be able to rise and taunt his opponent before the official waved the contest over. As blood began to trickle from his lips, and a numbing throb radiated through his jaw, Paul at last grasped how hard, grueling, and perilous boxing is at a respectable standard 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 hinted at a precise and lethal execution when, in reality, Joshua had appeared exasperated for the majority of the fight. Instead of glowering with menace or displaying an iron certainty, Joshua had appeared tentative and awkward for nearly five rounds.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a fundamental requirement in elite boxing, shaped the outcome. Without the gas to escape any more, and resorting to falling to the deck as frequently as he could for a breather, Paul was rendered defenseless by fatigue. Joshua applied the brutal ending, but, up to that point, he had seemed a mournful shadow of the boxer he had been in 2017.

The Winner's Post-Fight Comments

"That was not the finest display," Joshua conceded. "The objective was to catch Jake Paul, pin him down and hurt him. That has been the request, and that's what was on my mind. It took a little more time than anticipated, but the straight right finally reached its destination."

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

What Comes Next: Past Their Prime and Rising Stars

In the post-fight interview that followed, a cheerful Joshua tried out a woeful impression of his domestic rival as he demanded a fight against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will probably get his wish, but that matchup comes much too late in their professional journeys. Both men are on the downward slope of the peak.

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, having beaten both Joshua and Fury twice. At the same time, Itauma is a rapidly ascending talent. The young British heavyweight would probably have needed less than half the number of rounds that Joshua required to send Paul into a appropriately astonished stupor.

The Defeated Fighter's Unbowed Reaction

But the public receives what the public wants, and that certainly means additional low-quality crossover contests. Paul seemed genuinely proud and brash to have had his mandible fractured by a sledgehammer right. In the wee hours of the next day, he shared an X-ray, with the two fractures marked in crimson.

That lighthearted reference to the Mexican superstar, a much superior fighter than Joshua but a similarly faded force, demonstrated that Paul's brazen audacity is undented. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly find another opponent with whom he can make more than $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before leaving for the hospital, Paul spat a tracer of blood onto the ring floor. It was one more bleak symbol of the night as Paul mangled harsh reality with blood-flecked bravado and stated: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A nice little ass-whipping from one of the best to ever do it. I love this sport and I'm going to return and continue winning."