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Jake Paul's mouth gaped wide open, his eyes becoming wide, stunned circles as he collapsed to the mat in shock and awe after a devastating right hand from the former champion. It appeared as if Paul was trying to say "Whoa!" as the severity of the impact sank in to his scrambled senses.

"Those watching didn't spend money to see this crap," said the referee, encapsulating the dismal affair much more succinctly than anyone else could.

Pinned in a neutral corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could no longer run or hold on to Joshua's legs in a desperate clinch 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 caught in an completely dazed moment.

So this is how it is like, and looks, to be hit hard by a genuine professional fighter, an Olympic champion and ex- 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 rise and waggle his tongue defiantly before the referee waved the charade to a halt. As blood began to leak from his mouth, and a numbing throb spread through his jawbone, Paul at last grasped how hard, exhausting, and perilous boxing is at a respectable level of competition.

A Far From Impressive Win for Joshua

Joshua, it must be noted, was not impressive amid the chaos. After his empty victory, he performed a cut-throat motion that suggested a clinical and lethal finish when, in truth, Joshua had appeared exasperated for the majority of the contest. Instead of exuding intimidation or displaying an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had seemed tentative and awkward for nearly five stanzas.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a basic essential in elite boxing, shaped the outcome. Without the gas to escape any more, and reduced to falling to the canvas as often as he could for a rest, Paul was left defenseless by fatigue. Joshua applied the brutal finish, but, up to that point, he had looked like a mournful imitation of the fighter he was in 2017.

The Winner's Post-Fight Assessment

"That was not the finest display," Joshua admitted. "The end goal was to catch Jake Paul, pin him down and do damage. That has been the request, and that's what was on my mind. It took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand eventually reached its destination."

Joshua praised Paul's courage but he added an excuse for his own stilted performance. "He faced a real fighter tonight that's had a 15-month layoff," Joshua said, referencing his last defeat. "We shook off the cobwebs, and I can't wait to roll into 2026."

What Comes Next: Past Their Prime and New Talent

In the press conference afterwards, a cheerful Joshua attempted a woeful impression of Tyson Fury as he demanded a scrap against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will probably get his wish, but that matchup comes much too late in their careers. Both men are on the far side of the peak.

In stark contrast, the most compelling big men in the world remain the Ukrainian master and the British prospect. Usyk is still the undoubted ruler of the division, after defeating both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. At the same time, Itauma is a rising force. The youthful British heavyweight would probably have required less than half the number of rounds that Joshua required to knock Paul into a appropriately astonished stupor.

Paul's Unbowed Reaction

But the fans receives what the public wants, and that certainly means more low-quality celebrity contests. Paul appeared truly satisfied and brash to have had his jaw broken by a sledgehammer right. In the early hours of the next day, he shared an radiograph, with the pair of breaks marked in red.

That lighthearted nod to the Mexican superstar, a much superior fighter than Joshua but a equally faded presence, demonstrated that Paul's brazen audacity is unbroken. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly locate another opponent with whom he can make north of $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before leaving for the hospital, Paul expelled a tracer of blood onto the ring floor. It was another bleak symbol of the night as Paul mangled blunt truth with blood-flecked bravado and said: "I think my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A nice little beating from one of the greatest to ever do it. I love this sport and I'm going to come back and continue winning."