Anthony Joshua knocked out Jake Paul in the sixth round on Saturday night in Miami, ending a controversial heavyweight fight that left the YouTuber turned boxer with a suspected broken jaw.
The bout took place at the Kaseya Center and was widely criticised before the opening bell because of the clear gap in size and experience between both fighters. As expected, Joshua’s power eventually proved too much.
Paul spent much of the early rounds moving around the ring and avoiding exchanges, forcing Joshua to stay patient. The former two time world champion grew more aggressive as the fight went on and finally broke through in the fifth round, knocking Paul down twice.
Paul was dropped again in the sixth round before Joshua landed a clean right hand that ended the contest. The American failed to beat the referee’s count, bringing the fight to a sudden close.
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“It wasn’t the best performance,” Joshua said after the fight.
“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.”
Paul was able to stand and leave the ring without help, easing concerns inside the arena. He was later taken to hospital for further checks.
Most Valuable Promotions chief Nakisa Bidarian confirmed that Paul may have suffered a broken jaw.
“We think he broke his jaw. But he’s fine,” Bidarian said.
“A broken jaw is very common in boxing or MMA. The recovery time is four to six weeks.”
Paul later said his jaw was “definitely” broken and announced plans to take a break from boxing.
“We will heal the broken jaw and come back to fight people my weight,” he said.
“I’m going to take a little break. I’ve been going hard for six years.”
The win was Joshua’s 29th victory in 33 professional fights and allows him to shift focus back to top level opponents. He also used the moment to call out long time rival Tyson Fury.
“Come and fight one of the realest fighters out there,” Joshua said. “Step in there with me next if you’re a really bad boy.”
The fight once again raised questions about the safety of mismatched bouts, but it ended in the manner most fans and experts had predicted.