Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on Friday night knocked out YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul in the sixth round of a controversial, Netflix backed bout at the Kaseya Center in Miami, ending a contest that drew widespread criticism across the boxing world.
The non title heavyweight fight, which reportedly earned both fighters a combined purse of about 184 million dollars, had raised concerns long before the opening bell due to the wide gap in experience, size and pedigree between Joshua, a two time former world champion, and Paul, who built his boxing profile through novelty contests.
Despite expectations of an early finish, the bout dragged into the later rounds in scrappy fashion, with Paul repeatedly dropping to the canvas and resorting to holding and grappling Joshua’s legs, frustrating both fans and officials.
At one point in the fourth round, referee Christopher Young openly rebuked the fighters, saying, “The fans did not pay to see this crap.”
Joshua, fighting for the first time in 15 months, struggled initially to impose himself but gradually took control as Paul tired. The British boxer knocked the American down twice in the fifth round before ending the fight in the sixth.
The decisive moment came when Joshua backed the 28 year old into a corner, landed a heavy left and followed up with a crushing right hand to the chin that sent Paul crashing to the canvas, prompting the referee to wave off the contest.
Reacting after the fight, Joshua admitted the performance was not his sharpest. “It wasn’t the best performance,” the 36 year old said. “But the end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down, and hurt him. That was the request leading up, and that was on my mind. It took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand finally found its destination.”
Joshua also praised Paul for his resilience. “I want to give him his props, he got up time and time again,” he said. “It was difficult in there for him, but he kept on trying to find a way. It takes a real man to do that.”
Paul, whose mouth was bloodied after the final exchange, suggested he may have suffered a broken jaw but expressed satisfaction with his effort.
“That was fun. I gave it my all,” he said. “I had a blast. I think my jaw is broken by the way. But Anthony’s one of the best to ever do it. I’m gonna come back and get a world championship.”
He added that fatigue played a major role in his defeat. “I just got tired, to be honest. It was so much handling his weight. With better cardio, I could have kept it up. But he hits really hard.”
Statistics from the bout reflected Joshua’s dominance, with the Briton landing 48 of 146 punches thrown, compared to Paul’s 16 landed punches.
The fight came just over a year after Paul’s widely criticised bout against 58 year old Mike Tyson and had been heavily panned by boxing purists who warned of the risk involved.
Joshua is now expected to turn his attention to a potential blockbuster fight against fellow former world champion Tyson Fury in 2026.
“We shook off the cobwebs, and I can’t wait to roll into 2026,” Joshua said. “If Tyson Fury is as serious as he thinks he is, let’s put on some gloves and fight.”
