Anthony Joshua needed six rounds to bring an end to one of the most striking mismatches in modern boxing, stopping novice professional Jake Paul after a night that was equal parts spectacle and inevitability at Miami’s Kaseya Center.
The former two-time heavyweight world champion cut a frustrated figure for long stretches as Paul adopted a survival-first approach, circling the ring and refusing to engage. But Joshua’s patience eventually paid off. After twice flooring the YouTuber-turned-boxer in the fifth round, the British heavyweight finished matters in the sixth with a clean, powerful right hand that finally pierced Paul’s resistance.
Paul failed to beat the count, bringing a surreal contest to an abrupt conclusion. There was visible relief inside the 20,000-seat arena when the American rose to his feet and was able to leave the ring unaided.
“It wasn’t the best performance,” Joshua, 36, admitted afterwards. “The end goal was to pin Jake Paul down and hurt him. It took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand finally found the destination.”
The outcome was widely predicted across the boxing world and inevitably reignited debate about the safety and sporting merit of bouts involving such a gulf in experience, size and power. Joshua, a seasoned elite heavyweight, was facing an opponent still learning the sport at the professional level.
For Joshua, the victory was the 29th of his career in 33 fights and allows him to move on quickly to more credible challenges. Chief among them is the long-mooted all-British showdown with Tyson Fury, which continues to hover over the heavyweight division.
“Come and fight one of the ‘realest’ fighters out there,” Joshua said, addressing his rival. “Step in there with me next if you’re a really bad boy.”
Paul, 28, fell well short of his bold promise to deliver “the greatest upset in sports history.” He spent much of the contest on the back foot, repeatedly hitting the canvas and at times clutching at Joshua’s legs, a reflection of the significant weight gap and the physical toll it took.
To his credit, Paul did land a handful of punches, and the fact he survived into the sixth round was, if anything, an unflattering footnote for Joshua. A looping overhand right in the fourth round briefly caught Joshua’s attention, but it lacked the power to alter the course of the fight.
Joshua made the first ringwalk to a mixed reception, his stern expression underlining his insistence that he would treat the bout seriously. Paul’s entrance, meanwhile, raised eyebrows as he was accompanied by rapper 6ix9ine, a controversial figure with a criminal past.
From the opening bell, boos echoed around the arena as Paul circled constantly, sticking out his tongue and playing to the theatre whenever Joshua’s heavy swings failed to land. Each passing minute felt like a small victory for Paul, who only 13 months earlier had shared a ring with 58-year-old Mike Tyson in another headline-grabbing exhibition.
The decisive moment arrived in the fifth round when a right hook sent Paul to the canvas. Moments later, a sharp combination dropped him again. He rose unsteadily, breathing heavily, attempting to mask the damage with bravado. Another heavy right in the sixth prompted calls from sections of the crowd for the referee to intervene, and when Joshua finally landed the straight right he had been hunting all night, the contest was over.
The event was broadcast live to more than 300 million Netflix subscribers and drew a celebrity-studded ringside audience, including golf star Rory McIlroy and music producers Rick Ross and Timbaland.
This was never a fight designed to rigorously test Joshua’s boxing ability. It was entertainment, carefully engineered to generate attention and revenue. Joshua is reported to have earned a share of a £210m purse and is expected to take another warm-up bout early next year before a potential clash with Fury later in 2026.
“I don’t care about the legacy,” Joshua said. “This is what I do, and I’ll do it until I can’t anymore.”
Paul conceded defeat with typical bravado. “I got beat up,” he said, claiming his jaw may have been broken, while insisting he would return and chase a cruiserweight world title in the future.
Like him or loathe him, Paul continues to draw audiences, headlines and debate in a way few fighters can. That he convinced some sections of the public this contest might be competitive speaks volumes for his promotional power even if, as a boxer, he was ultimately found out.
Source : BBC Sports
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