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Jake Paul's mouth gaped wide open, his eyes becoming wide, stunned circles as he collapsed to the canvas in stunned disbelief following a devastating right hand from Anthony Joshua. It appeared as if Paul was trying to say "Wow!" as the force of the blow sank in to his rattled senses.

"Those watching didn't spend money to see this garbage," said the referee, summing up the sorry spectacle much more effectively than anyone else could.

Pinned 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 serious reality of the sweet science became clear. Instead, as he tried to absorb the shot that broke his jaw in two distinct locations, Paul was lost in an completely stunned moment.

So this is how it feels, and appears, to be hit hard by a genuine boxer, an Olympic gold medallist and former 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 power shot ensured Paul would not be able to rise and taunt his opponent before the official waved the charade over. As blood began to trickle from his mouth, and a dull ache radiated through his jawbone, Paul at last grasped how difficult, exhausting, and dangerous boxing is at a decent level of professionalism.

An Unimpressive Impressive Victory for the Victor

Joshua, it should be stressed, was far from convincing during the chaos. After his hollow victory, he performed a cut-throat motion that hinted at a precise and deadly finish when, in reality, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for most of the fight. Rather than exuding intimidation or displaying an iron certainty, Joshua had seemed hesitant and awkward for almost five stanzas.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a basic essential in elite boxing, shaped the outcome. Lacking the stamina to escape any more, and reduced to falling to the canvas as frequently as he could for a breather, Paul was left defenseless by fatigue. Joshua applied the brutal ending, but, up to that point, he had seemed a mournful shadow of the boxer he had been in 2017.

Joshua's Aftermath Assessment

"That was not the best performance," Joshua admitted. "The objective was to catch 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 straight right finally found its target."

Joshua praised Paul's bravery but he offered an explanation for his own labored performance. "He faced a real fighter tonight that's had a 15-month layoff," Joshua said, referencing his last loss. "We dusted off the cobwebs, and I can't wait to roll into 2026."

The Future: Past Their Prime and New Talent

In the press conference afterwards, a cheerful Joshua attempted a poor imitation of Tyson Fury as he demanded a scrap against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will probably get his wish, but that bout comes far too late in their professional journeys. Both fighters are on the far side of the hill.

In contrast, the most interesting big men in the world remain the Ukrainian master and the British prospect. Usyk is still the unquestioned ruler of the division, after defeating both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rapidly ascending talent. The young British heavyweight would probably have needed less than half the number of three-minute periods that Joshua needed to send Paul into a suitably wowed stupor.

The Defeated Fighter's Defiant Response

But the fans gets what the public wants, and that undoubtedly means more low-quality crossover contests. Paul seemed genuinely proud and cocky to have had his mandible fractured by a sledgehammer right. In the early hours of Saturday morning, he shared an radiograph, with the two fractures marked in red.

That lighthearted nod to the Mexican superstar, a much superior boxer than Joshua but a equally diminished presence, demonstrated that Paul's comic chutzpah remains unbroken. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will soon locate another opponent with whom he can earn more than $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before leaving for the hospital, Paul spat a streak of blood onto the ring floor. It was another grim symbol of the evening as Paul mixed blunt truth with gory bravado and said: "I think my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A nice little beating from one of the best to ever step in the ring. I love this shit and I'm going to come back and keep on winning."