Former heavyweight champion beats social-media-star-turned fighter with a sixth-round knockout in Miami.
Revealed On 20 Dec 2025
Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua knocked out YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul of their controversial Netflix-backed bout in Miami.
Two-time world champion Joshua made onerous work of defeating his vastly much less skilled opponent on Friday evening, however lastly made his superior dimension and energy depend within the later levels of the eight-round struggle.
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A mediocre contest on the Kaseya Middle – with the 2 males reportedly splitting a mammoth purse of $184m – descended into farce at occasions, with Paul repeatedly dropping to the canvas and grappling at Joshua’s legs.
At one stage even referee Christopher Younger seemed to be shedding persistence, warning the fighters within the fourth spherical: “The followers didn’t pay to see this crap.”
As Paul drained, Joshua lastly started to land punches with extra regularity and after pulling down the American twice within the fifth spherical the top got here swiftly within the sixth.
Joshua backed the 28-year-old right into a nook and after teeing up Paul with a crunching left, delivered the knockout blow with a proper to the chin that despatched his opponent crashing to the canvas.
“It wasn’t the most effective efficiency,” Joshua, 36, admitted afterwards. “However the finish objective was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and harm him.
“That was the request main up, and that was on my thoughts. It took a bit longer than anticipated however the appropriate hand lastly discovered its vacation spot.”
Joshua in the meantime praised Paul for lasting into the later rounds.
“I wish to give him his props – he obtained up time and time once more,” Joshua stated. “It was troublesome in there for him, however he stored on looking for a approach. It takes an actual man to try this.”
Paul, in the meantime, his mouth bloodied from Joshua’s ultimate assault, stated he believed his jaw had been damaged – however was happy together with his efficiency.
“That was enjoyable. I gave it my all,” Paul stated. “I had a blast. I believe my jaw is damaged by the way in which. However Anthony’s top-of-the-line to ever do it so. I’m gonna come again and get a world championship.
“I simply obtained drained to be sincere – prefer it was a lot dealing with his weight. I believe with higher cardio I might have stored it up and stored on combating. However he hits actually onerous.”
The bout was carried reside to Netflix’s roughly 300 million subscribers.
Friday’s made-for-streaming contest, which got here simply over a yr after Paul had fought a 58-year-old Mike Tyson in a much-derided Netflix struggle, had triggered alarm throughout boxing given the disparity in dimension and expertise between the 2 males.
But the devastating first or second spherical knockout by Joshua that the majority had predicted didn’t materialise as Paul scrambled desperately to remain exterior of the 2012 Olympic champion’s vary.
Joshua, combating for the primary time in 15 months, at all times appeared the extra threatening fighter although, touchdown 48 of 146 punches thrown in comparison with Paul’s meagre complete of 16 punches landed.
