Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua defeated YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul via sixth-round knockout in their highly anticipated and controversial Netflix-backed bout at the Kaseya Center in Miami on Friday.
The fight, which reportedly earned both men a combined purse of $184 million, had drawn widespread criticism from boxing stakeholders due to the significant gap in experience and pedigree between Joshua, a two-time world champion and Olympic gold medallist, and Paul, an internet personality turned prizefighter.
Despite expectations of an early stoppage, Joshua laboured at times against a defensive and evasive Paul in what became a scrappy eight-round contest.
The bout descended into moments of farce, with Paul repeatedly dropping to the canvas and clutching at Joshua’s legs. Referee Christopher Young was visibly frustrated, warning both fighters in the fourth round: “The fans did not pay to see this crap.”
As the fight wore on, Joshua’s superior size, strength and conditioning began to tell. After scoring two knockdowns in the fifth round, the British heavyweight sealed the victory in the sixth. Backing Paul into a corner, Joshua landed a heavy left before delivering a decisive right hand to the chin that sent the American crashing to the canvas for the final time.
“It wasn’t the best performance,” Joshua, 36, admitted after the fight. “But the end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and hurt him. It took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand finally found its destination.”
Joshua also commended Paul for his resilience. “I want to give him his props — he got up time and time again. It was difficult in there for him, but he kept trying. It takes a real man to do that,” he said.
Paul, 28, whose mouth was bloodied from the final exchange, suggested he may have suffered a broken jaw but remained upbeat. “That was fun. I gave it my all,” he said. “Anthony’s one of the best to ever do it. I’m going to come back and get a world championship. I just got tired — handling his weight was tough. He hits really hard.”
Statistics highlighted Joshua’s dominance, with the Briton landing 48 of 146 punches thrown, compared to Paul’s 16 landed shots. The fight marked Joshua’s first appearance in the ring in 15 months.
Attention now turns to a potential blockbuster clash between Joshua and fellow British heavyweight Tyson Fury in 2026. “We shook off the cobwebs and I can’t wait to roll into 2026,” Joshua said. “If Tyson Fury is as serious as he thinks he is, let’s put on some gloves and fight.”
