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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's jaw dropped wide open, his expression turning to huge glazed saucers as he sank to the mat in shock and awe after a pulverising right hand from Anthony Joshua. It looked as if Paul was attempting to say "Wow!" as the severity of the impact registered to his rattled senses.

"Those watching didn't pay to see this garbage," said the referee, encapsulating the sorry affair much more succinctly than any observer else could.

Pinned in a neutral corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could no longer retreat or hold on to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the serious reality of the sweet science became clear. Instead, as he tried to absorb the shot that fractured his mandible in two distinct locations, Paul was lost in an completely stunned moment.

So this is how it feels, and looks, to be hit hard by a real boxer, 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 result of a clean punch ensured Paul could not get up and waggle his tongue defiantly before the official called the contest over. As blood began to leak from his lips, and a dull ache spread through his jawbone, Paul finally grasped how difficult, exhausting, and dangerous boxing is at a respectable level of professionalism.

An Unimpressive Impressive Victory for Joshua

Joshua, it must be noted, was not impressive during the bedlam. After his hollow victory, he made a cut-throat motion that hinted at a clinical and deadly finish when, in reality, Joshua had appeared exasperated for the majority of the fight. Rather than glowering with menace or displaying an iron certainty, Joshua had appeared hesitant and crude for nearly five rounds.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a basic essential in elite boxing, dictated the outcome. Without the gas to escape any longer, and resorting to falling to the deck as often as he could for a breather, Paul was left helpless by exhaustion. Joshua applied the brutal ending, but, until then, he had looked like a mournful shadow of the boxer he had been in 2017.

Joshua's Aftermath Comments

"It wasn't the best performance," Joshua conceded. "The end goal was to catch Jake Paul, pin him down and hurt him. That has been the request, and that's what was on my thoughts. It took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand eventually reached its destination."

Joshua commended Paul's courage but he offered an excuse for his own stilted showing. "He faced a real fighter tonight that's had a fifteen-month layoff," Joshua said, mentioning his last loss. "We shook off the rust, and I am eager to head into 2026."

What Comes Next: Faded Forces and Rising Stars

In the post-fight interview that followed, a cheerful Joshua tried out a poor impression of Tyson Fury as he demanded a fight against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will probably have his way, but that bout comes far too late in their professional journeys. 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 the British prospect. Usyk is still the undoubted ruler of the division, having beaten both Joshua and Fury twice. At the same time, Itauma is a rising talent. The young British heavyweight would probably have needed fewer than half the number of rounds that Joshua needed to knock Paul into a suitably wowed state.

Paul's Defiant Reaction

But the fans gets what the public wants, and that undoubtedly means additional pitiful crossover contests. Paul seemed genuinely satisfied and cocky to have had his jaw broken by a hammer-like right. In the early hours of Saturday morning, he posted an X-ray, with the pair of breaks highlighted in crimson.

That lighthearted nod to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a much superior fighter than Joshua but a equally diminished force, showed that Paul's brazen audacity is unbroken. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will soon locate someone else with whom he can make more than $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before departing to the hospital, Paul expelled a streak of blood onto the ring floor. It was one more bleak symbol of the night as Paul mixed harsh reality with blood-flecked bullshit and stated: "I think my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A nice little ass-whipping from one of the greatest to ever do it. I adore this shit and I'm going to return and continue winning."