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Jake Paul's mouth gaped agape, his eyes becoming huge glazed saucers as he collapsed to the mat in shock and awe after a pulverising right hand from the former champion. It appeared as if Paul was trying to utter "Whoa!" as the force of the blow sank in to his rattled senses.

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

Trapped in a neutral corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could not run or hold on to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the gravity of boxing enveloped him. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the punch that broke his jaw in two distinct locations, Paul was caught in an completely stunned moment.

So this is how it is like, and looks, to be hit hard by a genuine boxer, an Olympic champion and former world heavyweight champion. "Goodness" is indeed the word.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been knocked down, but the consequences of a clean punch meant Paul would not be able to rise and taunt his opponent before the referee waved the contest to a halt. As blood began to trickle from his lips, and a numbing throb radiated through his jaw, Paul finally understood how difficult, exhausting, and dangerous boxing is at a decent standard of professionalism.

A Far From Impressive Win for Joshua

Joshua, it must be noted, was far from convincing during the chaos. After his hollow victory, he made a cut-throat motion that suggested a clinical and deadly finish when, in truth, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for most of the contest. Instead of glowering with menace or exhibiting an iron certainty, Joshua had seemed hesitant and awkward for nearly five stanzas.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a fundamental requirement in elite boxing, dictated the result. Without the gas to flee any longer, and resorting to falling to the canvas as frequently as he could for a rest, Paul was rendered defenseless by exhaustion. Joshua applied the vicious ending, but, up to that point, he had seemed a mournful imitation of the fighter he had been in 2017.

The Winner's Post-Fight Assessment

"It wasn't the best performance," Joshua conceded. "The end goal was to get Jake Paul, corner him and hurt him. That has been the plan, 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 bravery but he offered an explanation for his own labored performance. "He faced a genuine competitor tonight that's had a 15-month layoff," Joshua said, mentioning his last loss. "We shook off the cobwebs, and I can't wait to head into 2026."

What Comes Next: Past Their Prime and New Talent

In the post-fight interview that followed, a cheerful Joshua attempted a woeful impression of his domestic rival as he called for a scrap against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will probably get his wish, but that matchup comes far too late in their careers. Both men are on the downward slope of the hill.

In stark contrast, the most interesting big men in the world are Oleksandr Usyk and the British prospect. Usyk remains the undoubted ruler of the division, having beaten both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. At the same time, Itauma is a rising talent. The young British heavyweight likely have needed less than half the amount of three-minute periods that Joshua required to knock Paul into a suitably astonished stupor.

The Defeated Fighter's Defiant Reaction

But the fans gets what the public wants, and that undoubtedly means more low-quality celebrity contests. Paul appeared genuinely proud and brash to have had his mandible fractured by a sledgehammer right. In the early hours of Saturday morning, he posted an X-ray, with the two fractures marked in red.

That lighthearted nod to the Mexican superstar, a far greater boxer than Joshua but a similarly diminished presence, showed that Paul's brazen audacity is undented. It might 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 leaving for the hospital, Paul spat a streak of blood onto the canvas. It was another bleak summary of the evening as Paul mangled blunt truth with blood-flecked bullshit and said: "I think my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A nice little ass-whipping from one of the greatest to ever step in the ring. I adore this sport and I'm going to return and keep on winning."