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Jake Paul's mouth gaped agape, his expression turning to huge glazed saucers as he collapsed to the mat in shock and awe after a devastating right hand from Anthony Joshua. It appeared as if Paul was trying to say "Wow!" as the force of the blow sank in to his scrambled senses.

"Those watching didn't pay to see this crap," said the referee, summing up the sorry spectacle far more effectively than any observer else managed to.

Pinned 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 boxing became clear. Instead, as he tried to absorb the shot that fractured his mandible in two separate places, Paul was lost in an completely stunned moment.

So this is how it is like, and appears, to be struck cleanly by a real professional fighter, an Olympic champion and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Wow" is certainly the appropriate term.

It was the fourth time the social media star had been sent to the floor, but the result of a proper punch ensured Paul could not rise and waggle his tongue defiantly before the referee waved the charade over. As blood began to trickle from his lips, and a numbing throb radiated through his jawbone, Paul at last grasped how hard, grueling, and perilous boxing is at a respectable standard of professionalism.

A Far From Impressive Win for the Victor

Joshua, it should be stressed, was not impressive amid the chaos. After his hollow victory, he performed a cut-throat motion that hinted at a precise and lethal execution when, in reality, Joshua had appeared exasperated for most of the contest. Instead of exuding intimidation or displaying an iron certainty, Joshua had appeared hesitant and awkward for almost five stanzas.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a basic essential in top-level boxing, shaped the result. Lacking the stamina to escape any longer, and resorting to slipping to the deck as often as he could for a rest, Paul was rendered defenseless by exhaustion. Joshua applied the vicious ending, but, until then, he had looked like a mournful imitation of the boxer he had been in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Comments

"That was not the best display," Joshua admitted. "The end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and hurt him. That has been the plan, and that's what was on my thoughts. It took a bit longer than anticipated, but the right hand finally reached its destination."

Joshua praised Paul's courage but he offered an explanation for his own labored showing. "He faced a real fighter tonight that's had a fifteen-month layoff," Joshua said, mentioning his previous defeat. "We shook off the cobwebs, and I am eager to head into 2026."

The Future: Faded Forces and New Talent

In the press conference that followed, a jovial Joshua tried out a poor impression of Tyson Fury as he demanded a scrap against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will likely get his wish, but that bout comes much too late in their professional journeys. Both men are on the downward slope of the peak.

In contrast, the most interesting heavyweights in the world remain Oleksandr Usyk and the British prospect. Usyk is still the undoubted king of the weight class, after defeating both Joshua and Fury twice. At the same time, Itauma is a rising talent. The youthful British heavyweight would probably have needed fewer than half the amount of rounds that Joshua required to send Paul into a appropriately wowed state.

The Defeated Fighter's Unbowed Reaction

But the fans receives what the public wants, and that undoubtedly means more pitiful crossover contests. Paul seemed genuinely satisfied and cocky to have had his mandible fractured by a sledgehammer right. In the early hours of the next day, he shared an X-ray, with the pair of breaks highlighted in crimson.

That lighthearted nod to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a equally faded force, demonstrated that Paul's brazen audacity is undented. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly find another opponent with whom he can make north of $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before departing to the hospital, Paul spat a tracer of blood onto the ring floor. It was one more grim summary of the night as Paul mangled blunt truth with blood-flecked bravado and stated: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A nice little ass-whipping from one of the best to ever do it. I love this sport and I'm going to come back and continue winning."