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Jake Paul's mouth gaped wide open, his expression turning to huge glazed saucers as he collapsed to the canvas in shock and awe following a devastating right hand from the former champion. It appeared as if Paul was trying to say "Wow!" as the severity of the blow sank in to his scrambled senses.

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

Trapped in a corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could not run or cling to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the gravity of the sweet science became clear. Instead, as he tried to absorb the shot that fractured his mandible in two separate places, Paul was caught in an completely stunned moment.

So that is what it is like, and appears, to be hit hard by a genuine boxer, an Olympic champion and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Wow" is certainly the word.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been knocked down, but the consequences of a proper punch meant Paul could not get up and waggle his tongue defiantly before the referee waved the contest over. As blood began to leak from his mouth, and a numbing throb radiated through his jawbone, Paul finally grasped how hard, grueling, and perilous boxing is at a respectable level of competition.

An Unimpressive Impressive Win for the Victor

Joshua, it should be stressed, was far from convincing during the bedlam. After his empty victory, he performed a throat-slitting gesture that hinted at a clinical and deadly finish when, in reality, Joshua had appeared exasperated for the majority of the contest. Rather than exuding intimidation or exhibiting an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had seemed hesitant and awkward for nearly five rounds.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a basic essential in top-level boxing, dictated the result. Without the gas to flee any longer, and reduced to falling to the deck as frequently as he could for a breather, Paul was left helpless by fatigue. Joshua applied the vicious ending, but, until then, he had looked like a sad shadow of the boxer he was in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Comments

"It wasn't the finest performance," Joshua conceded. "The objective was to get Jake Paul, corner him and hurt him. That has been the plan, and that's what was on my thoughts. It took a little more time than anticipated, but the right hand eventually reached its target."

Joshua commended Paul's courage but he added an excuse for his own stilted showing. "He faced a real fighter tonight that's had a fifteen-month hiatus," Joshua said, mentioning his previous loss. "We dusted off the rust, and I am eager to roll into 2026."

What Comes Next: Past Their Prime and Rising Stars

In the press conference afterwards, a jovial Joshua attempted a woeful impression of Tyson Fury as he demanded a fight 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 downward slope of the peak.

In contrast, the most interesting heavyweights in the world remain Oleksandr Usyk and the British prospect. Usyk remains the unquestioned king of the division, after defeating both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. At the same time, Itauma is a rising talent. The young British heavyweight would probably have needed fewer than half the amount of three-minute periods that Joshua required to knock Paul into a appropriately astonished state.

The Defeated Fighter's Defiant Response

But the fans receives what the public wants, and that certainly means more pitiful celebrity contests. Paul appeared genuinely proud and brash to have had his jaw broken by a hammer-like right. In the early hours of the next day, he posted an X-ray, with the pair of breaks highlighted in red.

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

While he was being interviewed, before departing to the medical facility, Paul spat a tracer of blood onto the canvas. It was one more bleak symbol of the evening as Paul mangled blunt truth with blood-flecked bravado and said: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A nice little beating from one of the best to ever do it. I adore this shit and I'm going to return and continue winning."