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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's mouth gaped agape, his eyes becoming huge glazed saucers as he sank to the mat in shock and awe following a devastating right hand from the former champion. It looked as if Paul was trying to utter "Wow!" as the severity of the blow registered to his scrambled senses.

"The fans didn't spend money to see this crap," snapped the referee, summing up the sorry affair far more effectively than anyone else could.

Pinned in a corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could no longer retreat or cling to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the serious reality of the sweet science enveloped him. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the shot that fractured his mandible in two distinct locations, Paul was lost in an completely stunned moment.

So this is how it feels, and looks, to be hit hard by a genuine boxer, an Olympic champion 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 proper power shot meant Paul could not rise and taunt his opponent before the referee called the charade over. As blood began to leak from his mouth, and a numbing throb radiated through his jaw, Paul finally understood how hard, exhausting, and perilous boxing is at a decent level of professionalism.

A Far From Commanding Victory for Joshua

Joshua, it must be noted, was far from convincing amid the chaos. After his hollow victory, he made a throat-slitting gesture that hinted at a clinical and lethal execution when, in truth, Joshua had appeared exasperated for the majority of the contest. Instead of glowering with menace or displaying an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had seemed tentative and crude for almost five rounds.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a fundamental requirement in elite boxing, dictated the result. Lacking the stamina to escape any more, and resorting to falling to the canvas as often as he could for a rest, Paul was rendered helpless by exhaustion. Joshua applied the vicious ending, but, until then, he had seemed a mournful shadow of the fighter he was in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Comments

"It wasn't the best display," Joshua admitted. "The end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and hurt him. 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 target."

Joshua commended Paul's bravery but he added an excuse for his own labored showing. "He came up against a real fighter tonight that's had a fifteen-month layoff," Joshua said, mentioning his previous loss. "We dusted off the cobwebs, and I am eager to head into 2026."

What Comes Next: Past Their Prime and Rising Stars

In the post-fight interview that followed, a cheerful Joshua tried out a poor imitation of Tyson Fury as he demanded a scrap against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will probably get his wish, but that matchup comes far too late in their careers. Both men are on the far side of the hill.

In stark contrast, the most compelling big men in the world are the Ukrainian master and Moses Itauma. Usyk remains the unquestioned ruler of the weight class, after defeating both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. At the same time, Itauma is a rising talent. The youthful British heavyweight likely have needed fewer than half the amount of three-minute periods that Joshua required to knock Paul into a suitably astonished state.

The Defeated Fighter's Unbowed Response

But the fans receives what the public desires, and that certainly means additional pitiful crossover fights. Paul seemed truly proud and cocky to have had his jaw broken by a sledgehammer right. In the wee hours of the next day, he shared an X-ray, with the pair of breaks marked in crimson.

That jokey reference to the Mexican superstar, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a similarly faded force, demonstrated that Paul's brazen audacity is undented. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will soon find someone else with whom he can earn more than $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before leaving for the medical facility, Paul spat a tracer of blood onto the ring floor. It was one more grim summary of the night as Paul mixed harsh reality with blood-flecked bravado and stated: "I think my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A proper ass-whipping from one of the greatest to ever step in the ring. I adore this sport and I'm going to return and keep on winning."