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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's jaw dropped wide open, his eyes becoming huge glazed saucers as he sank to the mat in stunned disbelief following a devastating right hand from Anthony Joshua. It appeared as if Paul was attempting to utter "Whoa!" as the severity of the impact registered to his rattled senses.

"The audience didn't spend money to see this crap," said the referee, encapsulating the sorry spectacle much more effectively than anyone else managed to.

Trapped in a 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 gravity of the sweet science became clear. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the punch that fractured his mandible in two separate places, Paul was caught in an completely dazed moment.

So that is what it is like, and appears, to be struck cleanly by a genuine boxer, an Olympic champion and former world heavyweight champion. "Wow" is certainly the word.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been sent to the floor, but the consequences of a proper power shot ensured Paul would not be able to get up and waggle his tongue defiantly before the official called the charade over. As blood began to leak from his mouth, and a dull ache spread through his jawbone, Paul at last grasped how difficult, grueling, and dangerous boxing is at a respectable level of professionalism.

An Unimpressive Commanding Win for the Victor

Joshua, it must be noted, was far from convincing during the bedlam. After his hollow victory, he made a cut-throat motion that suggested a clinical and deadly finish when, in reality, Joshua had appeared exasperated for the majority of the fight. Rather than exuding intimidation or exhibiting an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had seemed tentative and awkward for almost five rounds.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a fundamental requirement in top-level boxing, dictated the outcome. Lacking the stamina to flee any more, and reduced to falling to the canvas as frequently as he could for a breather, Paul was left helpless by fatigue. Joshua applied the vicious ending, but, up to that point, he had looked like a sad shadow of the boxer he had been in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Comments

"It wasn't the finest display," Joshua conceded. "The end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down 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 destination."

Joshua praised Paul's courage but he offered an excuse for his own stilted showing. "He faced a genuine competitor tonight that's had a fifteen-month hiatus," Joshua said, referencing his last loss. "We dusted off the cobwebs, and I can't wait to roll into 2026."

What Comes Next: Faded Forces and Rising Stars

In the press conference that followed, a cheerful Joshua tried out a poor impression of Tyson Fury as he demanded a fight against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will likely get his wish, but that matchup comes far too late in their careers. Both fighters are on the far side of the peak.

In stark contrast, the most compelling heavyweights in the world are Oleksandr Usyk and the British prospect. Usyk is still the undoubted king of the division, after defeating both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rising talent. The young British heavyweight would probably have required fewer than half the amount of three-minute periods that Joshua required to send Paul into a appropriately wowed state.

The Defeated Fighter's Defiant Response

But the public gets what the public wants, and that certainly means more pitiful crossover contests. Paul appeared truly proud and brash to have had his jaw broken by a hammer-like right. In the early hours of the next day, he shared an radiograph, with the pair of breaks marked in crimson.

That jokey nod to the Mexican superstar, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a similarly faded presence, demonstrated that Paul's brazen audacity is undented. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will soon locate another opponent with whom he can make more than $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before leaving for the medical facility, Paul expelled a streak of blood onto the canvas. It was one more bleak summary of the night as Paul mangled harsh reality with gory bullshit and stated: "I think my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A proper ass-whipping from one of the greatest to ever do it. I adore this shit and I'm going to return and keep on winning."