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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's mouth gaped agape, his expression turning to wide, stunned circles as he collapsed to the mat in shock and awe following a devastating right hand from the former champion. It looked as if Paul was attempting to utter "Wow!" as the force of the impact sank in to his rattled senses.

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

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

So that is what it feels, and looks, to be hit hard by a real boxer, an Olympic champion and ex- world heavyweight champion. "Wow" is indeed the word.

It was the fourth time the social media star had been knocked down, but the consequences of a proper power shot meant Paul could not get up and waggle his tongue defiantly before the official called the charade over. As blood began to trickle from his lips, and a numbing throb radiated through his jaw, Paul finally understood how difficult, exhausting, and perilous boxing is at a respectable standard of professionalism.

An Unimpressive Commanding Victory for the Victor

Joshua, it should be stressed, was not impressive amid the chaos. After his hollow victory, he made a throat-slitting gesture that hinted at a clinical and lethal finish when, in truth, Joshua had appeared exasperated for most of the contest. Rather than exuding intimidation or exhibiting an iron certainty, Joshua had seemed tentative and awkward for almost five stanzas.

Paul's lack of conditioning, which is a basic essential in elite boxing, dictated the outcome. Without the gas to flee any longer, and reduced to falling to the canvas as frequently as he could for a rest, Paul was rendered helpless by exhaustion. Joshua applied the brutal finish, but, until then, he had seemed a sad shadow of the boxer he had been in 2017.

The Winner's Post-Fight Assessment

"That was not the best performance," Joshua admitted. "The objective was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and do damage. That has been the request, and that's what was on my thoughts. It took a little more time than expected, but the straight right eventually reached its destination."

Joshua praised Paul's courage but he offered an explanation for his own stilted 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 am eager to roll into 2026."

What Comes Next: Past Their Prime and New Talent

In the press conference that followed, a jovial Joshua attempted a woeful imitation of Tyson Fury as he demanded a scrap against the presently inactive boxer. Joshua will likely have his way, but that matchup comes much too late in their professional journeys. Both fighters are on the downward slope of the peak.

In contrast, the most compelling heavyweights in the world are Oleksandr Usyk and the British prospect. Usyk remains the unquestioned ruler of the weight class, having beaten both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. At the same time, Itauma is a rapidly ascending force. The young British heavyweight would probably have needed fewer than half the amount of rounds that Joshua required to knock Paul into a suitably astonished stupor.

The Defeated Fighter's Defiant Reaction

But the public gets what the public wants, and that certainly means additional pitiful crossover contests. Paul appeared genuinely satisfied and brash to have had his mandible fractured by a hammer-like right. In the early hours of Saturday morning, he posted an X-ray, with the two fractures marked in crimson.

That jokey reference to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a much superior boxer than Joshua but a equally faded force, showed that Paul's comic chutzpah remains undented. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will shortly locate someone else with whom he can make north of $50 million.

During his in-ring interview, before departing to the hospital, Paul spat a tracer of blood onto the ring floor. It was one more grim summary of the night as Paul mangled harsh reality with gory bravado and stated: "I think my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A proper ass-whipping from one of the best to ever step in the ring. I adore this shit and I'm going to come back and continue winning."