Anthony Joshua defeated Jake Paul by knockout in the sixth round of their heavyweight bout in Miami on Friday night. Paul was floored four times before the fight was stopped, with Joshua landing a decisive right hand in the corner.
The contest, streamed live on Netflix, was widely criticised as a mismatch. Joshua, fighting for the first time in 15 months after injury, looked rusty and struggled to pin down the evasive Paul in the early rounds. Referee Christopher Young warned both fighters, saying, 'Fans didn’t pay to see this crap.'
Joshua increased the pace in the fifth round, putting Paul down twice before finishing him in the sixth. Paul later revealed he had suffered a suspected broken jaw and was taken to hospital.
Joshua improved to 29-4 with his 26th career knockout. Paul, who usually fights at cruiserweight, fell to 12-2, suffering his first stoppage loss. Joshua called out Tyson Fury after the fight, with a potential showdown expected in 2026.
In the co-main event, Alycia Baumgardner retained her unified super-featherweight titles with a points win over Leila Beaudoin. Other undercard results included Anderson Silva stopping Tyron Woodley in the second round.
