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Jake Paul's mouth gaped wide open, his expression turning to wide, stunned circles as he collapsed to the canvas in stunned disbelief after a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It looked as if Paul was attempting to say "Whoa!" as the severity of the impact registered to his rattled senses.

"The fans didn't pay to see this garbage," snapped the referee, encapsulating the sorry affair far more effectively than anyone else managed to.

Trapped 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 boxing enveloped him. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the punch that fractured his mandible in two distinct locations, Paul was caught in an utterly stunned moment.

So that is what it is like, and looks, to be hit hard by a real boxer, an Olympic gold medallist and former world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is certainly the appropriate term.

It was the fourth time the social media star had been knocked down, but the result of a proper punch ensured Paul would not be able to get up and taunt his opponent before the official called the charade to a halt. As blood began to leak from his mouth, and a numbing throb radiated through his jaw, Paul at last understood how difficult, exhausting, and perilous boxing is at a respectable standard of professionalism.

An Unimpressive Commanding Victory for the Victor

Anthony Joshua, it must be noted, was far from convincing amid the chaos. After his empty victory, he performed a throat-slitting gesture that hinted at a precise and lethal execution when, in truth, Joshua had appeared exasperated for most of the fight. Instead of exuding intimidation or exhibiting an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had seemed tentative and crude for almost five stanzas.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a basic essential in elite boxing, shaped the result. Lacking the stamina to flee any longer, and resorting to falling to the deck as often as he could for a rest, Paul was left defenseless by fatigue. Joshua applied the vicious ending, but, up to that point, he had looked like a sad shadow of the fighter he was in 2017.

The Winner's Aftermath Assessment

"That was not the finest performance," Joshua conceded. "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 eventually found its target."

Joshua commended Paul's courage but he added an explanation for his own labored showing. "He came up against a real fighter tonight that's had a 15-month hiatus," Joshua said, referencing his last loss. "We shook off the cobwebs, and I can't wait to head into 2026."

The Future: Past Their Prime and New Talent

In the post-fight interview afterwards, a cheerful Joshua tried out a woeful impression of Tyson Fury as he demanded a scrap against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will likely have his way, but that bout comes much too late in their careers. Both fighters are on the far side of the peak.

In stark contrast, the most compelling heavyweights in the world are Oleksandr Usyk and the British prospect. Usyk is still the unquestioned king of the weight class, having beaten both Joshua and Fury twice. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rapidly ascending talent. The youthful British heavyweight would probably have needed fewer than half the number of three-minute periods that Joshua needed to send Paul into a appropriately astonished state.

The Defeated Fighter's Defiant Reaction

But the public gets what the public wants, and that certainly means more pitiful celebrity contests. Paul seemed truly satisfied and brash to have had his jaw broken by a hammer-like right. In the early hours of the next day, he shared an radiograph, with the pair of breaks highlighted in crimson.

That jokey nod to the Mexican superstar, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a equally diminished force, demonstrated that Paul's brazen audacity remains undented. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly find another opponent with whom he can make 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 another bleak summary of the night as Paul mixed blunt truth with blood-flecked bullshit and said: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A nice little 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."