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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's mouth gaped agape, his expression turning to huge glazed saucers as he collapsed to the canvas in shock and awe following a pulverising right hand from Anthony Joshua. It looked as if Paul was attempting to say "Whoa!" as the severity of the impact registered to his scrambled senses.

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

Pinned in a corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could no longer run or hold on to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the gravity of boxing became clear. Instead, as he tried to absorb the punch that fractured his mandible in two separate places, Paul was caught in an utterly stunned moment.

So this is how it feels, and appears, to be hit hard by a genuine professional fighter, an Olympic gold medallist and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is certainly the appropriate term.

It was the fourth time the social media star had been knocked down, but the consequences of a clean punch ensured Paul would not be able to rise and waggle his tongue defiantly before the official waved the contest over. As blood began to leak from his mouth, and a numbing throb spread through his jawbone, Paul at last grasped how difficult, grueling, and perilous boxing is at a respectable level of professionalism.

An Unimpressive Commanding Victory for the Victor

Anthony Joshua, it must be noted, was far from convincing during the chaos. After his empty victory, he made a throat-slitting gesture that suggested a clinical and lethal finish when, in truth, Joshua had appeared exasperated for most of the fight. Instead of exuding intimidation or displaying an iron certainty, Joshua had seemed tentative and awkward for almost five rounds.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a basic essential in elite boxing, dictated the result. Lacking the stamina to flee any more, and reduced to slipping to the canvas as frequently as he could for a breather, Paul was rendered helpless by exhaustion. Joshua delivered the vicious ending, but, until then, he had looked like a mournful imitation of the fighter he had been in 2017.

The Winner's Aftermath Assessment

"That was not the best performance," Joshua conceded. "The objective 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 eventually reached its target."

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

The Future: Faded Forces and New Talent

In the post-fight interview that followed, a cheerful Joshua attempted a woeful imitation of his domestic rival as he called for a scrap against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will probably get his wish, but that matchup comes much too late in their careers. Both fighters are on the far side of the peak.

In stark contrast, the most interesting heavyweights in the world are the Ukrainian master and the British prospect. Usyk remains the undoubted king of the weight class, after defeating both Joshua and Fury twice. At the same time, Itauma is a rapidly ascending talent. The young British heavyweight likely have required less than half the amount of rounds that Joshua required to knock Paul into a suitably astonished stupor.

Paul's Unbowed Response

But the public gets what the public desires, and that certainly means more low-quality celebrity fights. Paul seemed genuinely proud and cocky to have had his jaw broken by a sledgehammer right. In the wee hours of Saturday morning, he posted 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 equally diminished presence, demonstrated that Paul's comic chutzpah remains undented. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will soon find another opponent with whom he can make more than $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before departing to the hospital, Paul spat a tracer of blood onto the canvas. It was another grim summary 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 proper beating from one of the best to ever do it. I love this sport and I'm going to return and keep on winning."