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Jake Paul's mouth gaped wide open, his eyes becoming huge glazed saucers as he collapsed to the mat in stunned disbelief following a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It looked as if Paul was attempting to say "Wow!" as the force of the blow sank in to his scrambled senses.

"The audience didn't spend money to see this rubbish," snapped the referee, encapsulating the sorry spectacle much more succinctly than anyone else could.

Trapped in a neutral corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could not run or hold on to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the serious reality of boxing became clear. Instead, as he tried to absorb the shot that broke his jaw in two separate places, Paul was lost in an completely dazed moment.

So that is what it is like, and appears, to be struck cleanly by a genuine professional fighter, an Olympic champion and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Wow" is indeed the word.

It was the fourth time the social media star had been sent to the floor, but the consequences of a proper power shot ensured Paul would not be able to get up and waggle his tongue defiantly before the official called the contest to a halt. As blood began to leak from his mouth, and a numbing throb spread through his jawbone, Paul at last grasped how hard, exhausting, and dangerous boxing is at a decent level of professionalism.

An Unimpressive Commanding Win for Joshua

Joshua, it should be stressed, was far from convincing during the bedlam. After his hollow victory, he made a throat-slitting gesture that suggested a precise and lethal finish when, in truth, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for the majority of the contest. Instead of glowering with menace or exhibiting an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had seemed tentative and crude for nearly five rounds.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a fundamental requirement in elite boxing, dictated the result. Lacking the stamina to flee any more, and resorting to falling to the canvas as frequently as he could for a breather, Paul was rendered helpless by exhaustion. Joshua delivered the vicious finish, but, until then, he had seemed a mournful imitation of the fighter he was in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Comments

"That was not the finest display," Joshua admitted. "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 bit longer than expected, but the right hand eventually found its target."

Joshua commended Paul's courage but he offered an excuse for his own stilted showing. "He faced a genuine competitor tonight that's had a 15-month hiatus," Joshua said, referencing his previous loss. "We shook off the cobwebs, and I can't wait to roll into 2026."

The Future: Faded Forces and Rising Stars

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

In contrast, the most compelling heavyweights in the world are the Ukrainian master and Moses Itauma. Usyk remains the unquestioned king of the division, having beaten both Joshua and Fury twice. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rising force. The young British heavyweight likely have needed fewer than half the amount of three-minute periods that Joshua needed to send Paul into a suitably astonished state.

Paul's Defiant Reaction

But the public receives what the public desires, and that certainly means additional pitiful celebrity fights. Paul seemed truly proud and cocky to have had his jaw broken by a hammer-like right. In the wee hours of Saturday morning, he posted an X-ray, with the two fractures highlighted in red.

That lighthearted reference to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a much superior fighter than Joshua but a equally faded presence, showed that Paul's comic chutzpah remains undented. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly find someone else with whom he can make north of $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before leaving for the medical facility, Paul expelled a streak of blood onto the ring floor. It was one more bleak symbol of the evening as Paul mangled blunt truth with gory bravado and stated: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A proper beating from one of the best to ever do it. I love this sport and I'm going to return and continue winning."