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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's mouth gaped wide open, his eyes becoming huge glazed saucers as he sank to the canvas in shock and awe following a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It appeared as if Paul was attempting to say "Whoa!" as the force of the blow sank in to his scrambled senses.

"Those watching didn't spend money to see this rubbish," said the referee, summing up the dismal spectacle far more succinctly than anyone else could.

Trapped in a corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could no longer retreat or cling to Joshua's legs in a desperate clinch as the gravity of the sweet science became clear. Instead, as he tried to absorb the shot that fractured his mandible in two separate places, Paul was caught in an utterly stunned moment.

So that is what it is like, and looks, to be hit hard by a real professional fighter, an Olympic champion and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Wow" is indeed the appropriate term.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been knocked down, but the consequences of a proper power shot meant Paul would not be able to rise and taunt his opponent before the official waved the charade to a halt. As blood began to trickle from his lips, and a numbing throb spread through his jawbone, Paul at last understood how difficult, exhausting, and dangerous boxing is at a decent standard of professionalism.

An Unimpressive Commanding Win 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 suggested a precise and lethal execution when, in reality, Joshua had appeared exasperated for most of the contest. Instead of glowering with menace or displaying an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had seemed tentative and crude for almost five rounds.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a basic essential in top-level 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 rest, Paul was rendered helpless by fatigue. Joshua delivered the vicious finish, but, up to that point, he had seemed a mournful shadow of the fighter he had been in 2017.

Joshua's Aftermath Assessment

"That was not the finest performance," Joshua admitted. "The end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and do damage. That has been the plan, and that's what was on my mind. It took a little more time than expected, but the right hand eventually reached its destination."

Joshua commended Paul's courage but he offered an excuse for his own labored performance. "He came up against a genuine competitor tonight that's had a fifteen-month hiatus," Joshua said, mentioning his last defeat. "We shook off the rust, and I can't wait to head into 2026."

What Comes Next: Past Their Prime and New Talent

In the press conference that followed, a cheerful Joshua attempted a woeful impression of Tyson Fury as he called for a scrap against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will probably get his wish, but that bout comes far too late in their professional journeys. Both fighters are on the downward slope of the peak.

In contrast, the most compelling heavyweights in the world remain Oleksandr Usyk and the British prospect. Usyk remains the undoubted king of the weight class, having beaten both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. At the same time, Itauma is a rising force. The youthful British heavyweight would probably have required fewer than half the amount of three-minute periods that Joshua required to knock Paul into a suitably wowed stupor.

Paul's Defiant Response

But the fans receives what the public wants, and that certainly means additional low-quality crossover fights. Paul appeared truly proud and cocky to have had his mandible fractured by a hammer-like right. In the wee hours of the next day, he posted an radiograph, with the pair of breaks highlighted in crimson.

That lighthearted reference to the Mexican superstar, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a similarly faded presence, showed that Paul's brazen audacity is undented. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will soon locate someone else 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 ring floor. It was another grim summary of the evening as Paul mangled harsh reality with blood-flecked bravado and stated: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A proper ass-whipping from one of the greatest to ever do it. I love this shit and I'm going to return and continue winning."