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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's jaw dropped agape, his eyes becoming wide, stunned circles as he sank to the mat in shock and awe following a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It looked as if Paul was trying to say "Wow!" as the force of the blow registered to his scrambled senses.

"The fans didn't pay to see this garbage," snapped the referee, summing up the sorry affair much more succinctly than anyone else managed to.

Trapped in a neutral corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could no longer retreat or cling to Joshua's legs in a desperate clinch as the gravity of boxing became clear. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the shot that fractured his mandible in two distinct locations, Paul was caught in an utterly stunned moment.

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

It was the fourth time the social media star had been knocked down, but the result of a clean punch ensured Paul could not rise and taunt his opponent before the official called the contest over. As blood began to leak from his lips, and a dull ache spread through his jawbone, Paul finally grasped how hard, exhausting, and dangerous boxing is at a decent level of professionalism.

A Far From Commanding Victory for Joshua

Joshua, it must be noted, was far from convincing amid the bedlam. After his empty victory, he performed a throat-slitting gesture that hinted at a precise and lethal execution when, in reality, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for the majority of the fight. Instead of glowering with menace or exhibiting an iron certainty, Joshua had appeared tentative and awkward for nearly five rounds.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a fundamental requirement in elite boxing, shaped the outcome. Without the gas to flee any longer, and resorting to slipping to the deck as frequently as he could for a rest, Paul was left defenseless by fatigue. Joshua delivered the brutal ending, but, until then, he had seemed a mournful imitation of the fighter he had been in 2017.

Joshua's Aftermath Assessment

"That was not the best display," Joshua conceded. "The end goal was to get Jake Paul, corner him and do damage. 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 finally reached its destination."

Joshua commended Paul's courage but he offered an excuse for his own stilted performance. "He came up against a real fighter tonight that's had a fifteen-month layoff," Joshua said, mentioning his previous loss. "We shook off the cobwebs, and I am eager to head into 2026."

What Comes Next: Faded Forces and Rising Stars

In the post-fight interview that followed, a jovial Joshua tried out a poor impression of his domestic rival as he called for a fight against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will probably get his wish, 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 remain the Ukrainian master and the British prospect. Usyk is still the unquestioned king of the division, having beaten both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. At the same time, Itauma is a rapidly ascending force. The youthful British heavyweight likely have needed fewer than half the amount of three-minute periods that Joshua needed to send Paul into a appropriately wowed state.

The Defeated Fighter's Defiant Reaction

But the fans receives what the public wants, and that certainly means more pitiful crossover contests. Paul seemed truly satisfied 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 pair of breaks highlighted in crimson.

That jokey reference to the Mexican superstar, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a similarly faded presence, demonstrated that Paul's comic chutzpah remains unbroken. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly locate someone else with whom he can earn more than $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before departing to the medical facility, Paul spat a streak of blood onto the canvas. It was another bleak summary of the night as Paul mixed harsh reality with blood-flecked bravado and said: "I think my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A nice little ass-whipping from one of the greatest to ever step in the ring. I love this shit and I'm going to return and keep on winning."