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Jake Paul's jaw dropped wide open, his expression turning to huge glazed saucers as he sank to the canvas in shock and awe after a devastating right hand from the former champion. It looked as if Paul was attempting to utter "Wow!" as the force of the impact registered to his scrambled senses.

"Those watching didn't pay to see this rubbish," said the referee, summing up the sorry spectacle far more succinctly than anyone else managed to.

Pinned in a corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could no longer retreat or hold on to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the gravity of the sweet science became clear. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the punch that broke his jaw in two separate places, Paul was lost in an completely stunned moment.

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

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been sent to the floor, but the consequences of a proper punch ensured Paul could not rise and taunt his opponent before the official waved the contest over. As blood began to trickle from his lips, and a dull ache radiated through his jaw, Paul at last grasped how hard, exhausting, and dangerous boxing is at a respectable level of competition.

An Unimpressive Commanding Win for the Victor

Anthony Joshua, it must be noted, was not impressive during the chaos. After his empty victory, he made a cut-throat motion that suggested a precise and lethal finish when, in truth, Joshua had appeared exasperated for most of the fight. Instead of exuding intimidation or displaying an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had seemed tentative and crude for almost five stanzas.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a fundamental requirement in elite boxing, dictated the outcome. Lacking the stamina to escape any longer, and resorting to falling to the canvas as often as he could for a rest, Paul was left helpless by exhaustion. Joshua delivered the brutal ending, but, until then, he had looked like a sad imitation of the fighter he was in 2017.

The Winner's Post-Fight Assessment

"It wasn't the best performance," Joshua admitted. "The objective was to get Jake Paul, corner him and hurt him. That has been the request, and that's what was on my thoughts. It took a little more time than expected, but the right hand finally reached its destination."

Joshua commended Paul's courage but he added an excuse for his own labored showing. "He faced a real fighter tonight that's had a 15-month hiatus," Joshua said, mentioning his last loss. "We shook off the cobwebs, and I am eager to roll into 2026."

The Future: Faded Forces and New Talent

In the post-fight interview that followed, a jovial Joshua tried out a poor impression of his domestic rival as he demanded a fight against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will probably have his way, but that matchup comes far too late in their careers. Both men are on the far side of the hill.

In contrast, the most interesting big men in the world remain Oleksandr Usyk 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 rising talent. The youthful British heavyweight would probably have needed fewer than half the amount of three-minute periods that Joshua required to knock Paul into a appropriately wowed stupor.

Paul's Unbowed Reaction

But the fans gets what the public desires, and that undoubtedly means more low-quality celebrity contests. Paul seemed genuinely proud and cocky to have had his mandible fractured by a hammer-like right. In the early hours of the next day, he posted an radiograph, with the pair of breaks marked in red.

That lighthearted reference to the Mexican superstar, a much superior boxer than Joshua but a similarly faded presence, demonstrated that Paul's comic chutzpah is undented. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will soon find someone else with whom he can earn north of $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before departing to the hospital, Paul expelled a streak of blood onto the ring floor. It was another grim symbol of the evening as Paul mangled harsh reality with gory bullshit and stated: "I think my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A proper ass-whipping from one of the best to ever do it. I adore this shit and I'm going to come back and continue winning."