What we learned from Jake Paul’s painful defeat against Anthony Joshua

By Ben Church, CNN

(CNN) — The fight that people could barely believe was real ended in a way that everyone expected.

Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua beat YouTuber-turned boxer Jake Paul by knockout on Friday night, seemingly breaking the American’s jaw in the process.

The predictable result in the ring stood at stark comparison to the circus that surrounded it, and yet again raised questions over the future direction of boxing as a professional sport.

It was, in many ways, a night of contrast.

Firstly, physically. Paul was never going to beat Joshua, that much was clear when the pair stood next to each other during the buildup.

The Brit towered five inches above his opponent and weighed almost 30 pounds more than him after the official weigh-in on Thursday. Even before the fight, it was clear that Paul could not compete in the heavyweight division.

Then you consider the experience. Joshua has been one of the best boxers on the planet over the last decade, while Paul, who only made his debut five years ago, has made his name fighting opponents who are usually way past their prime.

Despite the obvious mismatch, Paul told the world he could cause an upset. In the end, he received a very real, and painful, reality check.

“That was good,” Paul said, spitting blood from his mouth during his post-fight interview in the ring.

“Nice little a**-whooping from one of the best to ever do it. I love this.”

What happened in the fight?

Paul’s game-plan was obvious from the outset and was certainly a smart one.

The American did everything he could to stay away from Joshua, ducking and weaving around the large ring and keeping his distance from the thunderous punches.

The strategy definitely worked for the first two rounds, with Paul defying what many had predicted; an early knockout.

But while the smaller man did his best to stay safe, fans were hardly treated to the spectacle they were promised. Paul would, occasionally, look to throw an overhand right at Joshua but the Brit barely seemed to notice.

It once again laid bare the problem with these crossover fights, which lend themselves to massive buildups, before fans are left watching mediocre fights.

At one point, the referee had to encourage the pair to actually start fighting each other, with Paul still keeping his distance and running out of harm’s way.

Just like the millions watching at home, Joshua began to get frustrated. But as the rounds wore on, Paul started to get tired. Slowly but surely, Joshua was able to close the distance and started connecting with shots.

An upper-cut in the fifth round looked to knock the wind out of Paul, with the American taking a knee and falling at the feet of his opponent who suddenly sensed a finish.

The fifth round ended with Paul wobbling around the ring and Joshua’s punches bouncing his opponent off the ropes. It was, finally, the fight many people came to see.

Then, in the sixth round, Paul found himself backed into the corner, hands down and with his chin on a plate for Joshua.

The Brit did exactly what people had predicted and landed a powerful right hook which sent Paul crumbling to the canvas.

The look on Paul’s face after he received his first clean shot from Joshua spoke a thousand words – he didn’t fancy any more of that, and who could blame him?

As the referee counted to 10, Paul made very little effort to get up in time and looked somewhat relieved when the fight was waved off.

The pair hugged in the middle of the ring, with Paul spitting up blood.

“It took a little bit longer than expected but the right hand finally found its destination,” Joshua said after the fight.

“Jake Paul’s done really well tonight. I’m going to give him his props. He got up time and time again. I give Jake the respect for trying and trying. He came up against a real fighter tonight.”

What happens now?

For Paul, some healing time is needed.

The 28-year-old ended up in hospital after the fight, posting on Instagram that he suffered a “double broken jaw” – pictures of the injury would seem to corroborate the claim.

“Surgery went well thanks for all the love and support. 2 titanium plates on each side. Some teeth removed. Have to have only liquids for 7 days,” Paul said on Instagram, posting a picture of him sitting up on a hospital bed.

Before the fight, he said he had nothing to lose and everything to win. In that respect, he was right.

He surprised people with his resilience and showed heart until the end, proving he’s no longer just a YouTuber, albeit far from an elite boxer.

For Joshua, it’s back to fighting people his own level.

A matchup against Tyson Fury in 2026 still seems to be the aim, but he’ll have to coax the fellow Brit out of retirement first.

If anything, Friday’s fight showed that Joshua still has a long way to go before he’s back to his best, but it was a step in the right direction.

For the sport of boxing, though, it’s another moment to pause.

Purists don’t want to see these gimmicky fights become the future of the sport, but when the financial reward of fighting the Jake Paul’s of the world is so high, more professional boxers are bound to want a piece of the pie.

And while the viewership figures are yet to be released by Netflix, you’d imagine they’ll look for another crossover fight to continue their foray into live sports.

More importantly, perhaps, Paul is bound to be back. And wherever the American goes, global attention surely follows.

Only next time, for the sake of boxing, he’ll perhaps fight someone on his own level.

The-CNN-Wire
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