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Jake Paul's jaw dropped agape, his expression turning to huge glazed saucers as he collapsed to the mat in shock and awe following a devastating right hand from Anthony Joshua. It appeared as if Paul was trying to say "Wow!" as the severity of the impact registered to his scrambled senses.

"Those watching didn't spend money to see this garbage," snapped the referee, summing up the dismal affair far more succinctly than anyone else managed to.

Pinned in a neutral corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could no longer retreat or hold on to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the serious reality of the sweet science enveloped him. Instead, as he tried to absorb the punch that fractured his mandible in two separate places, Paul was caught in an completely stunned moment.

So this is how it feels, and appears, to be hit hard by a genuine professional fighter, an Olympic gold medallist and former world heavyweight champion. "Wow" is indeed the word.

It was the fourth time the social media star had been knocked down, but the result of a proper power shot ensured Paul could not get up and taunt his opponent before the referee called the contest to a halt. As blood began to trickle from his mouth, and a numbing throb radiated through his jawbone, Paul finally grasped how hard, exhausting, and dangerous boxing is at a respectable standard of professionalism.

A Far From Commanding Win for Joshua

Joshua, it must be noted, was far from convincing during the bedlam. After his hollow victory, he performed a throat-slitting gesture that suggested a precise and lethal execution when, in reality, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for the majority of the contest. Instead of glowering with menace or exhibiting an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had appeared tentative and crude for almost five rounds.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a basic essential in elite boxing, shaped the result. Lacking the stamina to escape any longer, and reduced to slipping to the canvas as often as he could for a breather, Paul was rendered defenseless by exhaustion. Joshua delivered the vicious ending, but, up to that point, he had seemed a mournful imitation of the fighter he was in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Assessment

"It wasn't the finest 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 little more time than anticipated, but the right hand eventually found its target."

Joshua commended Paul's courage but he offered an excuse for his own stilted showing. "He came up against a genuine competitor tonight that's had a fifteen-month layoff," Joshua said, referencing his previous loss. "We shook off the cobwebs, and I can't wait to roll into 2026."

The Future: Past Their Prime and New Talent

In the press conference that followed, a jovial Joshua tried out a woeful impression of his domestic rival as he called for a scrap against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will likely get his wish, but that matchup comes far too late in their professional journeys. Both fighters are on the far side of the hill.

In contrast, the most compelling big men in the world are Oleksandr Usyk and Moses Itauma. Usyk is still the unquestioned ruler of the weight class, having beaten both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. At the same time, Itauma is a rapidly ascending force. The youthful British heavyweight would probably have needed fewer than half the amount of rounds that Joshua needed to knock Paul into a appropriately astonished state.

Paul's Unbowed Response

But the fans gets what the public desires, and that certainly means more low-quality crossover contests. Paul appeared truly satisfied and cocky to have had his jaw broken by a hammer-like right. In the wee hours of the next day, he posted an radiograph, with the two fractures highlighted in crimson.

That jokey nod to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a much superior fighter than Joshua but a equally faded presence, demonstrated that Paul's brazen audacity remains undented. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly find someone else with whom he can make more than $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before leaving for the hospital, Paul expelled a streak of blood onto the canvas. It was another grim symbol of the night as Paul mangled harsh reality with blood-flecked bravado and stated: "I think my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A proper beating from one of the greatest to ever step in the ring. I love this sport and I'm going to return and continue winning."