Jake Paul was knocked out in the sixth round by Anthony Joshua in Miami on Friday night, after a powerful right hand broke his jaw in two places. Paul, a former YouTuber, sank to the canvas with glazed eyes and was unable to continue, as blood leaked from his mouth. The referee waved off the contest, ending the spectacle that had drawn criticism for its lack of quality.
Joshua, an Olympic gold medallist and former world heavyweight champion, struggled for most of the fight, landing under a third of his punches and missing 98 of 146 thrown. He admitted it was not his best performance, saying: 'The end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and hurt him. It took a bit longer than expected.' Joshua praised Paul's courage but cited his own 15-month layoff since losing to Daniel Dubois.
Paul, who had been knocked down four times before, posted an X-ray of his double jaw fracture on social media, joking: 'Give me Canelo in 10 days.' The fight was described as a 'pitiful spectacle' by observers, with referee Christopher Young telling both men in the fourth round: 'The fans didn't pay to see this crap.'
Joshua called for a bout against Tyson Fury, though both fighters are past their prime. The most interesting heavyweights currently are Oleksandr Usyk and Moses Itauma, with Usyk having beaten both Joshua and Fury twice. The event highlighted the growing trend of celebrity boxing matches, with more likely to follow.
