British heavyweight Anthony Joshua needed six rounds to stop boxing novice Jake Paul, who spent much of the contest in survival mode in one of the most striking mismatches in the sport’s history.
Joshua cut an increasingly frustrated figure as Paul refused to engage by dancing around the ring for long spells, before the two-time world champion finally imposed himself by knocking down the YouTuber-turned-boxer twice in the fifth round.
Paul was down again in the sixth before Joshua landed a powerful and clean right hand that brought a surreal night to an abrupt conclusion at Miami’s Kaseya Center.
The American did not beat the count and there was palpable relief inside the arena when he was able to rise to his feet and leave the ring without assistance.
“It wasn’t the best performance,” Joshua, 36, said.
“The end goal was to pin Jake Paul down and hurt him. It took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand finally found the destination.”
It was the result the boxing world had overwhelmingly predicted, and the controversial bout raises questions about the safety risks created by such a vast gulf in experience, size and power.
Joshua claimed the 29th victory of his professional career in 33 outings and can now turn his attention to a more legitimate challenge – notably the long-mooted showdown with Tyson Fury next year.
“Come and fight one of the ‘realest’ fighters out there, step in there with me next if you’re a really bad boy,” Joshua told his rival.
Paul, meanwhile, failed to deliver on his promise to pull off the greatest upset in sports history.
The 28-year-old spent much of the fight tumbling to the canvas and clutching at Joshua’s legs, a reflection of the two-stone weight gap and how badly he struggled to cope with it.
Paul did manage to land a handful of shots, however, and the fact the contest stretched into the sixth round was an unflattering reflection on Joshua.
Joshua walked to the ring first and received a mixed reception inside the 20,000-seat arena. His expression was stern, reflecting his insistence all week that he would treat the contest seriously.
Paul’s ringwalk raised eyebrows as he was flanked by rapper 6ix9ine, a controversial figure with a history of criminal convictions and prison time.
When the opening bell rang, Paul circled on the back foot and boos soon followed.
Joshua stalked him, swinging heavy lefts and rights that cut only air, with each miss drawing gasps from the crowd. Paul responded by sticking out his tongue, playing to the theatre.
Every passing minute felt like a small victory for Paul, who just 13 months earlier fought 58-year-old Mike Tyson.
He did land a looping overhand right in the fourth, but it barely registered with Joshua.
The event was broadcast live to more than 300 million Netflix subscribers.
Golf superstar Rory McIlroy, fresh from his Sports Personality of the Year win, sat ringside alongside rappers Rick Ross and Timbaland.
The fifth round delivered what many had expected far earlier. A right hook brushed Paul’s shoulder and sent him to the canvas.
Moments later, a combination dropped him again. He rose heavily and was breathing hard as he attempted to mask the damage with bravado.
Another heavy right in the sixth sent Paul sprawling once more, prompting calls from sections of the crowd for the referee to step in.
Those who remembered Joshua’s brutal one-punch knockout of former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou earlier last year sensed a familiar ending approaching.
It was not quite as savage, but the straight right – the punch Joshua had been waiting for all night – finally landed flush.
This was not a contest designed to rigorously test Joshua’s boxing ability. It was entertainment, engineered to generate attention and revenue.
“I don’t care about the legacy. All the legacy is there to just last for 50 years, then it’s done. This is what I do, I’ll do it until can’t any more,” Joshua said.
Joshua will leave Miami with his share of a reported purse of £210m and his focus is now expected to shift to another warm-up opponent in February before a potential showdown with Fury later in 2026.
Paul, meanwhile, admitted he “got beat up” but insisted he will come back and target a cruiserweight world title.
“I think my jaw is broken. But that was good, I’ll come back and get a world championship belt at some point,” he said.
Like him or loathe him, Paul draws audiences, headlines and debate in a way few boxers can.
The fact he convinced sections of the public that this fight might be competitive speaks volumes about his power as a promoter – even if as a boxer, he was found out.
