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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's jaw dropped wide open, his eyes becoming wide, stunned circles as he sank to the mat in stunned disbelief following a pulverising right hand from Anthony Joshua. It looked as if Paul was attempting to say "Wow!" as the force of the blow registered to his scrambled senses.

"The fans didn't spend money to see this garbage," snapped the referee, encapsulating the dismal affair much more succinctly than anyone else managed to.

Pinned in a neutral corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could no longer retreat or cling 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 distinct locations, Paul was caught in an utterly stunned moment.

So that is what it is like, and looks, to be struck cleanly by a real professional fighter, an Olympic gold medallist and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Wow" 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 would not be able to get up and waggle his tongue defiantly before the referee waved the charade over. As blood began to leak from his mouth, and a numbing throb spread through his jaw, Paul at last understood how difficult, grueling, and dangerous boxing is at a decent level of professionalism.

An Unimpressive Commanding Win for the Victor

Anthony Joshua, it should be stressed, was not impressive during the bedlam. After his hollow victory, he performed a cut-throat motion that suggested a precise and deadly execution when, in truth, Joshua had appeared exasperated for the majority of the fight. Rather than exuding intimidation or exhibiting an iron certainty, Joshua had seemed hesitant and awkward for nearly five rounds.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a basic essential in elite boxing, shaped the outcome. Lacking the stamina to flee any longer, and reduced to falling to the deck as often as he could for a breather, Paul was left helpless by fatigue. Joshua applied the brutal finish, but, up to that point, he had looked like a mournful shadow of the boxer he had been in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Comments

"It wasn't the finest performance," Joshua conceded. "The end goal was to get 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 right hand finally found its target."

Joshua praised Paul's courage but he added an explanation for his own labored showing. "He came up against a genuine competitor tonight that's had a 15-month layoff," Joshua said, referencing his last defeat. "We shook off the cobwebs, and I am eager to head into 2026."

What Comes Next: Faded Forces and Rising Stars

In the press conference that followed, a cheerful Joshua tried out a woeful imitation of Tyson Fury as he called for a scrap against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will likely get his wish, but that bout comes far too late in their careers. Both men are on the downward slope of the peak.

In contrast, the most compelling heavyweights in the world are Oleksandr Usyk and the British prospect. Usyk remains the undoubted ruler of the weight class, after defeating both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rising talent. The youthful British heavyweight likely have needed less than half the amount of rounds that Joshua required to knock Paul into a appropriately wowed stupor.

Paul's Unbowed Reaction

But the fans gets what the public wants, and that undoubtedly means more low-quality crossover fights. Paul appeared truly proud and brash to have had his jaw broken by a hammer-like right. In the wee hours of Saturday morning, he posted an radiograph, with the two fractures highlighted in red.

That jokey reference to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a equally faded presence, demonstrated that Paul's comic chutzpah is undented. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will soon find someone else with whom he can earn more than $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before departing to the medical facility, Paul spat a tracer of blood onto the ring floor. It was another grim symbol of the night as Paul mangled harsh reality with blood-flecked bullshit and stated: "I think 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 return and keep on winning."