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Jake Paul's jaw dropped agape, his expression turning to huge glazed saucers as he collapsed to the canvas in stunned disbelief after a devastating right hand from Anthony Joshua. It looked as if Paul was attempting to utter "Wow!" as the force of the blow sank in to his scrambled senses.

"Those watching didn't pay to see this rubbish," said the referee, encapsulating the dismal affair far more effectively than any observer else managed to.

Trapped in a corner of the ring in the middle of the sixth round, Paul could no longer 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 fractured his mandible in two distinct locations, Paul was caught in an completely stunned moment.

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

It was the fourth time the social media star had been knocked down, but the consequences of a clean punch meant Paul could not rise and waggle his tongue defiantly before the referee called the contest over. As blood began to leak from his lips, and a dull ache radiated through his jawbone, Paul at last understood how hard, grueling, and dangerous boxing is at a respectable level of professionalism.

An Unimpressive Impressive Victory for the Victor

Joshua, it should be stressed, was far from convincing during the chaos. After his hollow victory, he performed a throat-slitting gesture that suggested a clinical and deadly execution when, in truth, Joshua had appeared exasperated for most of the contest. Instead of exuding intimidation or exhibiting an iron certainty, Joshua had appeared hesitant and crude for almost five rounds.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a basic essential in elite boxing, dictated the result. Without the gas to escape any more, and resorting to falling to the deck as frequently as he could for a breather, Paul was left helpless by exhaustion. Joshua applied the brutal ending, but, up to that point, he had looked like a sad imitation of the boxer he was in 2017.

Joshua's Aftermath Assessment

"It wasn't the best display," Joshua conceded. "The end goal was to get Jake Paul, corner him and hurt him. That has been the request, and that's what was on my thoughts. It took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand finally reached its target."

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

The Future: Faded Forces and New Talent

In the press conference that followed, a cheerful Joshua tried out a poor impression of his domestic rival as he called for a scrap against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will likely have his way, but that matchup comes far too late in their careers. Both men are on the downward slope of the peak.

In stark contrast, the most interesting heavyweights in the world are the Ukrainian master and the British prospect. Usyk remains the unquestioned king of the weight class, having beaten both Joshua and Fury on two occasions. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rapidly ascending force. The youthful British heavyweight likely have required less than half the number of three-minute periods that Joshua required to knock Paul into a appropriately wowed state.

Paul's Defiant Response

But the fans receives what the public wants, and that certainly means more pitiful celebrity contests. Paul seemed truly proud and cocky to have had his mandible fractured by a hammer-like right. In the wee hours of the next day, he shared an X-ray, with the pair of breaks highlighted in red.

That jokey reference to the Mexican superstar, a much superior fighter than Joshua but a similarly diminished presence, showed that Paul's comic chutzpah is undented. It might not be Canelo, but Paul will soon locate someone else with whom he can earn more than $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before departing to the hospital, Paul spat a tracer of blood onto the canvas. It was one more grim symbol of the night as Paul mixed blunt truth with blood-flecked bravado and stated: "I believe my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke. A nice little 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."