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Jake Paul's jaw dropped wide open, his expression turning to wide, stunned circles as he collapsed to the mat in shock and awe after a devastating right hand from Anthony Joshua. It looked as if Paul was trying to say "Whoa!" as the force of the blow registered to his scrambled senses.

"The fans didn't spend money to see this crap," said the referee, encapsulating the sorry affair far more effectively than any observer else could.

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 in a desperate clinch as the gravity of boxing enveloped him. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the punch that fractured his mandible in two separate places, Paul was lost in an utterly dazed moment.

So this is how it is like, and appears, to be hit hard by a genuine boxer, an Olympic gold medallist and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is certainly the word.

It was the fourth time the social media star had been sent to the floor, but the result of a proper punch meant Paul could not rise and waggle his tongue defiantly before the official called the charade to a halt. As blood began to trickle from his mouth, and a dull ache radiated through his jaw, Paul finally understood how hard, grueling, and perilous boxing is at a respectable level of professionalism.

An Unimpressive Commanding Win for Joshua

Joshua, it must be noted, was not impressive during the bedlam. After his empty victory, he performed a throat-slitting gesture that suggested a clinical and deadly finish when, in reality, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for most of the fight. Rather than exuding intimidation or exhibiting an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had seemed tentative and awkward for nearly five rounds.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a basic essential in elite boxing, shaped the outcome. Lacking the stamina to escape any more, and resorting to falling to the canvas as often 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 sad imitation of the fighter he had been in 2017.

The Winner's Aftermath Comments

"That was not the best display," Joshua conceded. "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 thoughts. It took a bit longer than expected, but the straight right eventually found its target."

Joshua praised Paul's bravery but he added an excuse for his own labored showing. "He faced a genuine competitor tonight that's had a 15-month layoff," Joshua said, mentioning his previous defeat. "We dusted off the rust, and I can't wait to head into 2026."

The Future: Faded Forces and Rising Stars

In the press conference that followed, a jovial Joshua tried out a poor impression of Tyson Fury as he called for a scrap against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will probably have his way, but that bout comes far too late in their professional journeys. Both men are on the far side of the hill.

In contrast, the most compelling heavyweights in the world remain the Ukrainian master and the British prospect. Usyk remains 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 required less than half the amount of three-minute periods that Joshua needed to send Paul into a suitably astonished stupor.

The Defeated Fighter's Unbowed Response

But the fans receives what the public desires, and that certainly means additional pitiful crossover fights. Paul appeared genuinely proud and cocky to have had his mandible fractured by a hammer-like right. In the early hours of the next day, he posted an radiograph, with the two fractures marked in red.

That jokey reference to the Mexican superstar, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a equally faded presence, showed that Paul's comic chutzpah remains unbroken. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly locate another opponent with whom he can earn north of $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 mangled blunt truth with blood-flecked bullshit and said: "I think my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A proper ass-whipping from one of the best to ever step in the ring. I love this shit and I'm going to return and continue winning."