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Jake Paul's mouth gaped agape, his eyes becoming huge glazed saucers as he collapsed to the mat in shock and awe after a devastating right hand from Anthony Joshua. It looked as if Paul was trying to utter "Whoa!" as the severity of the impact sank in to his scrambled senses.

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

Pinned in a corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could no longer run or cling to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the serious reality of the sweet science became clear. Instead, as he tried to absorb the shot that broke his jaw in two separate places, Paul was lost in an utterly dazed moment.

So that is what it feels, and looks, to be hit hard by a genuine boxer, an Olympic champion and former world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is certainly the word.

It was the fourth time the social media star had been sent to the floor, but the result of a proper power shot ensured Paul could not rise and taunt his opponent before the referee called the charade over. As blood began to trickle from his lips, and a numbing throb radiated through his jawbone, Paul at last grasped how hard, grueling, and dangerous boxing is at a decent standard of competition.

A Far From Commanding Victory for the Victor

Anthony Joshua, it must be noted, was not impressive during the chaos. After his empty victory, he made a throat-slitting gesture that suggested a clinical and lethal finish when, in reality, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for most of the fight. Instead of exuding intimidation or displaying an iron certainty, Joshua had appeared tentative and awkward for almost five stanzas.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a fundamental requirement in top-level boxing, shaped the outcome. Without the gas to flee any longer, and resorting to falling to the canvas as often as he could for a breather, Paul was rendered defenseless by exhaustion. Joshua delivered the brutal ending, but, up to that point, he had seemed a sad shadow of the boxer he was in 2017.

The Winner's Aftermath Assessment

"It wasn't the best display," Joshua conceded. "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 thoughts. It took a little more time than anticipated, but the straight right eventually found its target."

Joshua commended Paul's bravery but he offered an explanation for his own stilted performance. "He faced a genuine competitor tonight that's had a 15-month layoff," Joshua said, referencing his previous defeat. "We shook off the cobwebs, and I am eager to roll into 2026."

What Comes Next: Past Their Prime and New Talent

In the post-fight interview that followed, a cheerful Joshua tried out a woeful imitation of his domestic rival as he demanded a scrap against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will likely have his way, but that matchup comes much too late in their careers. Both fighters are on the downward slope of the peak.

In contrast, the most interesting big men in the world are the Ukrainian master and the British prospect. Usyk is still the unquestioned ruler of the weight class, after defeating both Joshua and Fury twice. At the same time, Itauma is a rising talent. The youthful British heavyweight would probably have needed less than half the number of three-minute periods that Joshua required to send Paul into a appropriately astonished stupor.

The Defeated Fighter's Unbowed Response

But the public receives what the public desires, and that undoubtedly means additional pitiful celebrity fights. Paul seemed genuinely proud and brash to have had his jaw broken by a sledgehammer right. In the early hours of the next day, he shared an radiograph, with the pair of breaks highlighted in crimson.

That jokey reference to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a equally diminished force, showed that Paul's brazen audacity remains unbroken. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will soon find someone else with whom he can earn north of $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before departing to the hospital, Paul expelled a streak of blood onto the ring floor. It was one more bleak symbol of the night as Paul mixed blunt truth with blood-flecked bravado and stated: "I think my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A proper beating from one of the best to ever step in the ring. I adore this sport and I'm going to return and keep on winning."