Former heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua delivered the expected outcome in Miami, stopping Jake Paul in the sixth round of a bout that had drawn widespread criticism long before the opening bell.
The fight, held at the Kaseya Center, was billed as a spectacle but quickly exposed the gulf in class between a seasoned heavyweight contender and a boxing novice still learning the craft. Paul spent much of the contest circling the ring and avoiding exchanges, prompting visible frustration from Joshua in the early rounds.
Joshua gradually closed the distance and imposed his strength, flooring the YouTuber turned boxer twice in the fifth round. Paul went down again in the sixth before Joshua landed a crushing right hand that ended the contest. Although Paul failed to beat the count, there was a sense of relief inside the arena when he managed to stand and leave the ring without assistance.
Speaking after the fight, Joshua admitted the bout did not unfold as sharply as he had hoped. He said his intention was to trap Paul and hurt him earlier, adding that while it took longer than expected, the decisive punch eventually came.
The result had been widely predicted across the boxing world, with many raising safety concerns ahead of the fight due to the stark difference in experience, size, and power. Joshua improved his professional record to 29 wins from 33 fights and immediately shifted focus to more credible opposition, renewing his call for a long awaited showdown with Tyson Fury.
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Paul, meanwhile, fell well short of his bold promise to deliver what he described as the greatest upset in sports history. The 28 year old struggled to cope with the physical demands of facing a natural heavyweight, frequently hitting the canvas and at times clutching Joshua’s legs under pressure. The weight difference, estimated at nearly two stone, was evident throughout.
Despite the one sided nature of the contest, Paul did manage to land a handful of punches, including a looping right hand in the fourth round that briefly caught Joshua’s attention. That the fight extended into the sixth round, however, raised questions about Joshua’s sharpness rather than Paul’s competitiveness.
Joshua made the first walk to the ring and received a mixed response from the crowd, his focused expression reflecting a determination to take the fight seriously. Paul’s entrance, featuring rapper 6ix9ine, drew loud reactions and controversy in equal measure.
From the opening bell, Paul adopted a defensive approach, circling constantly as boos echoed around the arena. Joshua stalked him patiently, throwing heavy punches that often fell short, drawing gasps from the crowd. Paul played to the cameras, at one point sticking out his tongue as each surviving minute felt like a personal victory.
The bout was streamed live to hundreds of millions of Netflix subscribers worldwide, underlining its entertainment appeal despite the sporting imbalance. The fifth round finally delivered the moment many expected, as a right hook sent Paul crashing to the canvas and set the stage for the inevitable finish moments later.
While the spectacle drew massive attention, the outcome reinforced lingering concerns about mismatched fights and the risks involved when entertainment blurs into elite professional boxing.
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