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Jake Paul's jaw dropped wide open, his expression turning to huge glazed saucers as he collapsed to the mat in stunned disbelief after a devastating right hand from Anthony Joshua. It appeared as if Paul was trying to utter "Whoa!" as the severity of the impact registered to his scrambled senses.

"Those watching didn't pay to see this crap," said the referee, encapsulating the dismal spectacle far more effectively than any observer else could.

Pinned in a corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could not retreat or hold on to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the gravity of the sweet science enveloped him. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the shot that broke his jaw in two distinct locations, Paul was lost in an completely dazed moment.

So that is what it is like, and appears, to be hit hard by a genuine boxer, an Olympic champion and former world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is certainly the appropriate term.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been sent to the floor, but the result of a clean power shot ensured Paul would not be able to rise and taunt his opponent before the referee waved the contest over. As blood began to trickle from his lips, and a numbing throb spread through his jawbone, Paul finally understood how difficult, grueling, and dangerous boxing is at a respectable level of professionalism.

An Unimpressive Impressive Win for the Victor

Joshua, it should be stressed, was far from convincing during the chaos. After his empty victory, he made a cut-throat motion that hinted at a clinical and lethal execution when, in reality, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for the majority of the contest. Instead of glowering with menace or exhibiting an iron certainty, Joshua had appeared hesitant and crude for nearly five stanzas.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a basic essential in elite boxing, dictated the result. Lacking the stamina to flee any longer, and resorting to falling to the deck as frequently as he could for a rest, Paul was rendered helpless by fatigue. Joshua delivered the vicious finish, but, up to that point, he had seemed a sad imitation of the fighter he had been in 2017.

Joshua's Aftermath Assessment

"That was not the finest display," 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 little more time than expected, but the straight right eventually reached its target."

Joshua commended Paul's courage but he added an explanation for his own labored 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 can't wait to head into 2026."

The Future: Faded Forces and Rising Stars

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

In contrast, the most compelling heavyweights in the world remain Oleksandr Usyk and Moses Itauma. Usyk remains the undoubted ruler of the division, having beaten both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rapidly ascending talent. The young British heavyweight would probably have needed less than half the amount of three-minute periods that Joshua required to knock Paul into a appropriately wowed state.

Paul's Unbowed Reaction

But the public receives what the public desires, and that undoubtedly means more pitiful crossover contests. Paul appeared truly proud and brash to have had his jaw broken by a hammer-like right. In the wee hours of the next day, he shared an radiograph, with the two fractures highlighted in crimson.

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

During his in-ring interview, before departing to the hospital, Paul spat a streak of blood onto the ring floor. It was one more grim summary of the night as Paul mangled harsh reality with gory bullshit and said: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A nice little ass-whipping from one of the greatest to ever do it. I love this sport and I'm going to come back and keep on winning."