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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's jaw dropped agape, his eyes becoming wide, stunned circles as he sank to the canvas in shock and awe after a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It appeared as if Paul was attempting to utter "Wow!" as the severity of the impact sank in to his rattled senses.

"Those watching didn't spend money to see this garbage," snapped the referee, encapsulating the dismal spectacle far more succinctly than any observer else could.

Trapped in a corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could not run or cling to Joshua's legs in a desperate clinch as the gravity of boxing enveloped him. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the shot that fractured his mandible in two separate places, Paul was caught in an completely stunned moment.

So this is how it feels, and looks, to be struck cleanly by a real boxer, an Olympic gold medallist and former world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is indeed the appropriate term.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been sent to the floor, but the consequences of a proper punch meant Paul could not rise and taunt his opponent before the referee waved the contest over. As blood began to trickle from his mouth, and a numbing throb spread through his jawbone, Paul at last understood how hard, exhausting, and perilous boxing is at a respectable standard of competition.

A Far From Commanding Win for the Victor

Joshua, it must be noted, was far from convincing amid the chaos. After his hollow victory, he performed a throat-slitting gesture that suggested a precise and deadly execution when, in reality, Joshua had appeared exasperated for the majority of the contest. Rather than exuding intimidation or exhibiting an iron certainty, Joshua had seemed hesitant and awkward for nearly five stanzas.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a basic essential in top-level boxing, shaped the result. Lacking the stamina to flee any longer, and reduced to slipping to the canvas as often as he could for a rest, Paul was left defenseless by fatigue. Joshua applied the vicious finish, but, until then, he had looked like a sad shadow of the boxer he was in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Assessment

"It wasn't the finest display," Joshua conceded. "The objective was to catch Jake Paul, corner him and do damage. 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 eventually reached its target."

Joshua commended Paul's bravery but he offered an explanation for his own labored performance. "He faced a genuine competitor tonight that's had a fifteen-month hiatus," Joshua said, mentioning his previous defeat. "We dusted off the cobwebs, and I can't wait to head into 2026."

What Comes Next: Faded Forces and Rising Stars

In the post-fight interview afterwards, a cheerful Joshua attempted a woeful impression of Tyson Fury as he demanded a scrap against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will probably have his way, but that bout comes much too late in their careers. Both fighters are on the downward slope of the peak.

In stark contrast, the most interesting big men in the world are the Ukrainian master and Moses Itauma. Usyk is still the unquestioned ruler of the weight class, after defeating both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. At the same time, Itauma is a rising talent. The youthful British heavyweight would probably have required less than half the amount of rounds that Joshua required to knock Paul into a suitably astonished stupor.

Paul's Unbowed Response

But the public receives what the public desires, and that certainly means additional pitiful crossover fights. Paul seemed genuinely proud and brash to have had his mandible fractured by a hammer-like right. In the early hours of Saturday morning, he posted an X-ray, with the pair of breaks marked in crimson.

That lighthearted nod to the Mexican superstar, a much superior fighter than Joshua but a similarly faded force, demonstrated that Paul's brazen audacity remains undented. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will soon locate another opponent with whom he can earn north of $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before departing to the medical facility, Paul expelled a streak of blood onto the ring floor. It was another bleak summary of the night as Paul mixed blunt truth with gory bravado and stated: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A proper ass-whipping from one of the best to ever step in the ring. I adore this sport and I'm going to come back and keep on winning."