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Jake Paul's jaw dropped wide open, his expression turning to wide, stunned circles as he sank to the canvas in stunned disbelief following a devastating right hand from Anthony Joshua. It looked as if Paul was trying to utter "Whoa!" as the force of the impact registered to his rattled senses.

"The audience didn't pay to see this crap," said the referee, summing up the dismal affair far more succinctly than any observer else managed to.

Trapped in a corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could not retreat or cling to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the serious reality of the sweet science enveloped him. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the punch that fractured his mandible in two separate places, Paul was lost in an utterly dazed moment.

So this is how it feels, and looks, to be struck cleanly by a genuine boxer, an Olympic gold medallist and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is indeed the word.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been sent to the floor, but the result of a clean punch meant Paul would not be able to rise and taunt his opponent before the official waved the charade over. As blood began to leak from his mouth, and a numbing throb spread through his jaw, Paul finally grasped how hard, exhausting, and perilous boxing is at a decent level of professionalism.

An Unimpressive Commanding Win for Joshua

Anthony Joshua, it must be noted, was far from convincing amid the chaos. After his empty victory, he performed a cut-throat motion that suggested a precise and lethal finish when, in reality, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for most of the contest. Rather than exuding intimidation or displaying an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had seemed hesitant and crude for nearly five stanzas.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a basic essential in top-level boxing, shaped the outcome. Lacking the stamina to escape any more, and resorting to falling to the deck as often as he could for a breather, Paul was left helpless by fatigue. Joshua applied the brutal ending, but, up to that point, he had seemed a mournful imitation of the fighter he was in 2017.

Joshua's Post-Fight Assessment

"It wasn't the best display," Joshua admitted. "The end goal was to catch Jake Paul, pin him down and hurt him. That has been the plan, and that's what was on my thoughts. It took a little more time than anticipated, but the straight right eventually reached its destination."

Joshua praised Paul's bravery but he added an explanation for his own stilted performance. "He came up against a real fighter tonight that's had a fifteen-month layoff," Joshua said, mentioning his previous defeat. "We dusted off the rust, and I can't wait to head into 2026."

The Future: Past Their Prime and New Talent

In the press conference that followed, a cheerful Joshua attempted a poor impression of Tyson Fury as he called for a fight against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will likely get his wish, but that matchup comes far too late in their careers. Both fighters are on the downward slope of the hill.

In stark contrast, the most compelling heavyweights in the world remain the Ukrainian master and the British prospect. Usyk remains the undoubted ruler of the weight class, after defeating both Joshua and Fury twice. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rising force. The young British heavyweight would probably have required less than half the amount of rounds that Joshua required to knock Paul into a suitably astonished state.

Paul's Defiant Response

But the fans receives what the public desires, and that certainly means additional pitiful celebrity contests. Paul appeared genuinely proud and brash to have had his mandible fractured by a hammer-like right. In the wee hours of Saturday morning, he shared an radiograph, with the two fractures highlighted in crimson.

That lighthearted nod to the Mexican superstar, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a equally faded force, demonstrated that Paul's comic chutzpah remains undented. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will soon locate someone else with whom he can earn north of $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before leaving for the medical facility, Paul expelled a streak of blood onto the canvas. It was another grim symbol of the night as Paul mixed harsh reality with gory bravado and said: "I think my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A nice little ass-whipping from one of the best to ever step in the ring. I adore this shit and I'm going to return and continue winning."