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Jake Paul's jaw dropped agape, his expression turning to huge glazed saucers as he collapsed to the mat in stunned disbelief following a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It appeared as if Paul was trying to utter "Wow!" as the force of the impact registered to his rattled senses.

"The audience didn't spend money to see this rubbish," snapped the referee, encapsulating the dismal spectacle far more effectively than any observer else managed to.

Pinned in a neutral corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could not run or hold on to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the serious reality of the sweet science became clear. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the shot that broke his jaw in two separate places, Paul was caught in an utterly stunned moment.

So that is what it is like, and appears, to be struck cleanly by a genuine professional fighter, an Olympic champion and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Wow" is indeed the word.

It was the fourth time the social media star had been knocked down, but the consequences of a proper power shot ensured Paul would not be able to get up and taunt his opponent before the referee called the charade over. As blood began to leak from his mouth, and a dull ache spread through his jawbone, Paul at last grasped how difficult, exhausting, and dangerous boxing is at a decent level of professionalism.

A Far From Impressive Victory for Joshua

Anthony Joshua, it must be noted, was not impressive during the chaos. After his hollow victory, he performed a cut-throat motion that suggested a precise and deadly finish when, in reality, Joshua had appeared exasperated for most of the contest. Instead of glowering with menace or displaying an iron certainty, Joshua had appeared tentative and awkward for nearly 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 resorting to slipping to the canvas as often as he could for a rest, Paul was left helpless by exhaustion. Joshua applied the brutal finish, but, up to that point, he had seemed a mournful shadow of the fighter he was in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Assessment

"That was not the finest display," Joshua admitted. "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 mind. It took a little more time than anticipated, but the straight right eventually reached its target."

Joshua commended Paul's bravery but he offered an excuse for his own stilted performance. "He came up against a genuine competitor tonight that's had a 15-month hiatus," Joshua said, referencing his previous defeat. "We shook off the cobwebs, and I am eager to head into 2026."

The Future: Past Their Prime and New Talent

In the press conference afterwards, a jovial Joshua attempted a woeful imitation of Tyson Fury as he called for a fight against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will likely have his way, but that matchup comes far too late in their careers. Both fighters are on the downward slope of the hill.

In stark contrast, the most interesting heavyweights in the world are Oleksandr Usyk and Moses Itauma. Usyk is still 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 would probably have needed less than half the amount of rounds that Joshua required to knock Paul into a suitably wowed state.

The Defeated Fighter's Unbowed Reaction

But the public gets what the public desires, and that certainly means additional pitiful celebrity fights. Paul seemed truly proud and brash to have had his mandible fractured by a sledgehammer right. In the early hours of Saturday morning, he posted an X-ray, with the two fractures marked in crimson.

That jokey nod to the Mexican superstar, a much superior fighter than Joshua but a equally diminished force, demonstrated that Paul's comic chutzpah is unbroken. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly find another opponent with whom he can earn more than $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before leaving for the medical facility, Paul expelled a tracer of blood onto the canvas. It was one more bleak summary of the night as Paul mixed harsh reality with gory bullshit and said: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A nice little beating from one of the greatest to ever do it. I adore this sport and I'm going to come back and keep on winning."