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Jake Paul's jaw dropped wide open, his eyes becoming wide, stunned circles as he sank to the canvas in stunned disbelief following a devastating right hand from Anthony Joshua. It appeared as if Paul was trying to say "Wow!" as the force of the blow registered to his rattled senses.

"Those watching didn't spend money to see this crap," snapped the referee, encapsulating the sorry affair much more effectively than anyone else managed to.

Trapped in a neutral corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could not retreat or hold on to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the serious reality of boxing enveloped him. Instead, as he tried to absorb the punch that broke his jaw in two distinct locations, Paul was caught in an completely dazed moment.

So this is how it is like, and appears, to be hit hard by a genuine boxer, an Olympic champion 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 result of a proper punch meant Paul could not get up and taunt his opponent before the referee waved the charade to a halt. As blood began to leak from his lips, and a numbing throb radiated through his jawbone, Paul finally understood how difficult, exhausting, and perilous boxing is at a decent standard of competition.

A Far From Commanding Win for Joshua

Joshua, it must be noted, was not impressive during the chaos. After his empty victory, he performed a cut-throat motion that suggested a clinical and deadly execution when, in reality, Joshua had appeared exasperated for the majority of the contest. Instead of glowering with menace or displaying an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had appeared tentative and awkward for almost five stanzas.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a basic essential in top-level boxing, shaped the result. Lacking the stamina to flee any more, and resorting to slipping to the canvas as frequently as he could for a breather, Paul was left defenseless by fatigue. Joshua applied the vicious finish, but, up to that point, he had seemed a mournful shadow of the fighter he had been in 2017.

The Winner's Aftermath Comments

"That was not the finest performance," Joshua admitted. "The end goal was to get Jake Paul, corner him and do damage. That has been the plan, and that's what was on my mind. It took a little more time than expected, but the right hand finally reached its target."

Joshua commended Paul's courage but he added an explanation for his own labored showing. "He faced a genuine competitor 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 head into 2026."

What Comes Next: Past Their Prime and Rising Stars

In the press conference afterwards, a jovial Joshua attempted a woeful impression of Tyson Fury as he demanded a fight against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will likely have his way, but that bout comes far too late in their professional journeys. Both fighters are on the far side of the peak.

In stark contrast, the most compelling heavyweights in the world remain Oleksandr Usyk and the British prospect. Usyk remains the undoubted ruler of the weight class, having beaten both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. At the same time, Itauma is a rapidly ascending talent. The youthful British heavyweight likely have needed fewer than half the amount of rounds that Joshua required to send Paul into a suitably astonished stupor.

Paul's Unbowed Reaction

But the public gets what the public desires, and that certainly means more low-quality crossover contests. Paul appeared genuinely satisfied and cocky to have had his mandible fractured by a sledgehammer right. In the early hours of the next day, he posted an radiograph, with the pair of breaks highlighted in red.

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

During his in-ring interview, before leaving for the medical facility, Paul spat a streak of blood onto the canvas. It was one more bleak summary of the evening as Paul mangled blunt truth with blood-flecked bullshit and stated: "I think my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A nice little beating from one of the best to ever step in the ring. I love this sport and I'm going to come back and continue winning."