Anthony Joshua reminded the boxing world of the brutal gap between elite champions and crossover fighters, stopping Jake Paul with a sixth-round knockout in their much-hyped heavyweight clash in Miami. While the bout drew global attention for its spectacle, the ending underlined a familiar truth: there are levels to the sport.
Joshua, a former two-time heavyweight world champion, entered the fight after a 15-month layoff and admitted afterward that he was “not at my best.” Even so, his experience, power, and composure proved far too much for Paul, the YouTuber-turned-boxer who has built a career by challenging MMA fighters and past-their-prime names.
To Paul’s credit, he exceeded expectations by surviving into the second half of the fight. Many observers anticipated an early stoppage, but Paul showed resilience and toughness, absorbing punishment and continuing to press forward. That resistance, however, only delayed the inevitable.
The fight turned decisively in the fifth round, when Joshua twice sent Paul to the canvas during a chaotic spell. Sensing his moment, Joshua came out aggressively in the sixth, unloading a series of heavy shots that forced the referee to step in and bring the contest to an end.
After the stoppage, Joshua quickly shifted focus to unfinished business in the heavyweight division, calling out longtime rival Tyson Fury. “Put down (your) Twitter fingers and put on some gloves and come and fight me,” Joshua said, making it clear he wants a return to elite-level competition.
For Paul, the night ended painfully. He suffered a double broken jaw during the fight and later shared an X-ray image showing the injury. His business partner Nakisa Bidarian reportedly described it as “very common in sports, particularly in boxing or MMA,” adding that “the recovery time is four to six weeks.” Despite the setback, Paul said he plans to take time away to heal before returning with ambitions of chasing the cruiserweight world title.
Fans acknowledged Paul’s willingness to step into dangerous territory. A user wrote, “I am not a fan of Jake Paul… but I gotta give him props and respect for stepping into the ring and taking punches of that caliber.”
In the end, the bout served as both entertainment and education. Joshua shook off rust and reasserted his pedigree, while Paul experienced the harsh realities of sharing the ring with a true heavyweight champion. The spectacle may be debated, but the outcome was decisive, and it reinforced that, in boxing, experience and class remain impossible to shortcut.
