Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has been praised for a display of sportsmanship that followed his brutal in-ring victory over YouTube star Jake Paul.
A Classy Gesture After the Bell
Following his sixth-round stoppage win over Paul in their December bout, Joshua made a point of seeking out his opponent's mother, Pam Stepnick, in the crowd. The British fighter, who secured the victory with a powerful performance, offered a personal apology for the nature of the contest.
In footage from after the fight, Joshua can be seen approaching Stepnick and sharing a quiet word. He described the defeated Paul as a "strong guy" and reminded the concerned mother that he too has suffered knockdowns in his career.
"Even Anthony Joshua had some class and apologised to me, essentially," Stepnick revealed on the Impaulsive podcast. "He worked his way through the crowd and came up to me and said: 'Mom, just know it's just boxing. It's just the fight game'."
Mother's Fury and Forgiveness
While appreciative of Joshua's gesture, Stepnick was less forgiving towards promoter Eddie Hearn, who was seen smiling after the fight's conclusion. "As a mom, my aggression comes out too," she admitted. "I wanted to get in that ring and punch Eddie Hearn, for instance... because I don't like his smug face. Jake's over there struggling and he's sitting over there smiling like the cat who swallowed the canary."
Despite her son requiring surgery on a broken jaw sustained in the fight, Stepnick held no ill will towards Joshua himself. "Jake chose to get into the ring with a humongous guy, that's on Jake," she stated pragmatically.
She expressed gratitude that the outcome wasn't worse and thanked medical staff for their swift care, noting Paul was "discharged to home within 12 hours" of the procedure.
Joshua's Path Forward and Fury Call-Out
The victory on 23 December 2025 marked a successful return for the 36-year-old Joshua, who now holds a professional record of 29 wins and 4 losses. It was his first fight since a defeat to Daniel Dubois in 2024.
Immediately after defeating Paul, Joshua issued a direct challenge to fellow Brit and WBC champion Tyson Fury. "And if Tyson Fury is as serious as he thinks he is, and he wants to put down his Twitter fingers and put on some gloves and come out and fight one of the realest fighters that will take on any challenge," Joshua declared from the ring. "Step in the ring with me next if you are a real bad boy."
However, Joshua's new trainer, Iegor Golub, has urged caution. Speaking to The Voice of Boxing, Golub suggested Joshua needs "one more fight before Fury," whom he described as a "very dangerous" and "intellectual" fighter.
The bout has undoubtedly reignited Joshua's career and set the stage for a potential all-British super-fight, pending his team's strategic planning.
