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Jake Paul's mouth gaped agape, his expression turning to huge glazed saucers as he sank to the canvas in shock and awe following a pulverising right hand from Anthony Joshua. It appeared as if Paul was attempting to say "Wow!" as the force of the impact sank in to his scrambled senses.

"The fans didn't pay to see this garbage," said the referee, encapsulating the sorry spectacle far more effectively than anyone else managed to.

Pinned in a neutral corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could not run or cling 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 utterly stunned moment.

So this is how it feels, and appears, to be struck cleanly by a genuine boxer, an Olympic gold medallist and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Wow" is certainly the appropriate term.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been sent to the floor, but the consequences of a clean power shot meant Paul could not rise and waggle his tongue defiantly before the official waved the charade over. As blood began to leak from his lips, and a numbing throb spread through his jawbone, Paul at last understood how hard, grueling, and perilous boxing is at a respectable standard of professionalism.

An Unimpressive Commanding Victory for Joshua

Anthony Joshua, it should be stressed, was not impressive during the chaos. After his empty victory, he performed a throat-slitting gesture that hinted at a clinical and lethal execution when, in truth, Joshua had cut a frustrated figure for the majority of the contest. Instead of exuding intimidation or displaying an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had appeared tentative and awkward for almost five rounds.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a basic essential in elite boxing, shaped the result. Without the gas to escape any longer, and reduced to slipping to the canvas as often as he could for a rest, Paul was rendered defenseless by fatigue. Joshua applied the vicious ending, but, up to that point, he had looked like a mournful shadow of the fighter he was in 2017.

The Winner's Aftermath Assessment

"It wasn't the finest performance," Joshua conceded. "The end goal was to catch Jake Paul, corner him and hurt him. That has been the plan, and that's what was on my thoughts. It took a bit longer than expected, but the straight right eventually found its target."

Joshua commended Paul's courage but he added an explanation for his own stilted showing. "He came up against a real fighter tonight that's had a fifteen-month layoff," Joshua said, referencing his previous loss. "We shook off the rust, and I can't wait to roll into 2026."

The Future: Faded Forces and Rising Stars

In the press conference afterwards, a cheerful Joshua tried out a poor 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 much too late in their professional journeys. Both men are on the far side of the peak.

In stark contrast, the most interesting big men in the world are the Ukrainian master and the British prospect. Usyk is still the undoubted king of the division, having beaten both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. At the same time, Itauma is a rapidly ascending talent. The young British heavyweight likely have needed less than half the number of rounds that Joshua needed to send Paul into a suitably wowed stupor.

Paul's Unbowed Reaction

But the public receives what the public desires, and that undoubtedly means additional low-quality crossover contests. Paul seemed genuinely proud and brash to have had his mandible fractured by a sledgehammer right. In the early hours of Saturday morning, he shared an X-ray, with the two fractures marked in crimson.

That jokey reference to the Mexican superstar, a far greater fighter than Joshua but a equally faded force, demonstrated that Paul's brazen audacity remains undented. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly find another opponent with whom he can earn more than $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before departing to the medical facility, Paul expelled a tracer of blood onto the canvas. It was another bleak symbol of the evening as Paul mangled blunt truth with gory bullshit and said: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A proper ass-whipping from one of the greatest to ever do it. I adore this sport and I'm going to come back and keep on winning."