Joshua Ends Paul's Experiment with Brutal Knockout Victory
In a result that felt like a return to boxing's natural order, Anthony Joshua emphatically halted Jake Paul's audacious foray into heavyweight boxing with a punishing sixth-round knockout victory on Friday night in Miami. The former two-time unified world champion floored the YouTube star-turned-prizefighter four times before the referee waved off the contest, bringing a decisive end to a spectacle that had sparked weeks of debate about the sport's integrity.
A Mismatch Unfolds from the Opening Bell
The scheduled eight-round bout at the Kaseya Center, streamed live to Netflix's vast global audience, followed a predictable script from the outset. Joshua, 36, immediately took control of the ring's centre, while the 28-year-old Paul relied on lateral movement, circling and clinching in a bid to survive. The early rounds were tentative, drawing scattered boos from the capacity crowd as Joshua patiently hunted his elusive target.
The fight's dynamic shifted in the third round when a Joshua right hand to the body visibly hurt Paul. By the fourth, the contest descended towards farce. Paul repeatedly went down, once claiming a low blow, in a series of delays that frustrated both Joshua and the audience. Despite the interruptions, referee Chris Young issued no point deduction, allowing the one-sided affair to continue.
The Inevitable Conclusion Arrives in the Sixth
The fifth round saw the mismatch turn into a rout. Joshua finally connected cleanly with his right hand, sending Paul to the canvas. The social media star beat the count but was promptly dropped again before being saved by the bell after a sustained assault in the corner.
The end came officially at 1:31 of the sixth round. Under a barrage of punches from Joshua, Paul went down twice more and was unable to beat the ten-count, concluding a fight that had long since lost any semblance of competitive balance.
Post-Fight Reaction: Respect and a Call to Fury
In victory, Joshua was gracious but clear about the hierarchy the fight had reinforced. "It wasn't the best performance," he admitted. "The end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and hurt him... He came up against a real fighter tonight." He praised Paul's durability, stating, "He got up time and time again. It takes a real man to do that."
Joshua, who was returning from a loss to Daniel Dubois in September 2024, swiftly turned his attention to the sport's elite, issuing a direct challenge to Tyson Fury. "Put down the Twitter fingers and put on some gloves," Joshua declared. "Let's see you in the ring and talk with your fists."
Despite the comprehensive defeat, an upbeat Jake Paul insisted he had "already won in every single way in life" and vowed to continue his boxing journey. "I love this sport. I gave it my all... I'm going to come back," he said, suggesting he may have suffered a broken jaw in the process.
The event underscored a modern boxing paradox: while figures like Paul possess an unparalleled ability to generate attention and revenue, the fundamental laws of the sport remain unchanged. Against a genuine world-class heavyweight like Anthony Joshua, the gap in skill, power, and pedigree was ultimately insurmountable.
