Anthony Joshua stopped Jake Paul in the sixth round of their fight in Miami on Friday night.
The British heavyweight champion found it difficult to catch the YouTube star in the opening rounds. However, he finally ended the contest with a powerful right hand in the sixth.
Paul, who had trouble with his balance during the fight, fell by the ropes. When he got back up unsteadily, the referee stopped the bout.
Joshua admitted after the fight that it “wasn’t the best performance.” Many expected the 36-year-old former champion to finish the fight earlier. The match was scheduled for eight rounds.
Paul made a bold entrance to the ring with a rapper, wearing sunglasses. He showed nerves once the fight began, moving backwards for much of the first round. He did land one left hand that pleased the American crowd, while Joshua looked to find his distance.
Joshua was more aggressive in the second round. A hard shot made Paul smile weakly, and a fast combination forced Paul onto the ropes.
Joshua, fighting for the first time since a loss last September, had trouble landing his hardest punches. He even had to take an uppercut from Paul in the third round.
In the fourth, a looping hook from Paul briefly caught Joshua, causing more surprise than damage. Paul was then hurt by a low blow.
Paul began to fade in the fifth round. He went down after a series of punches from Joshua and received a count from the referee. Joshua moved in and another right hand dropped Paul just as the bell rang.
The end came in the next round. After another exchange sent Paul to the canvas, he got back up. Joshua then landed the final right hand that ended the fight.
Speaking in the ring after the fight, Joshua said, “It wasn’t the best performance. The goal was to get Jake Paul out and hurt him. Jake Paul has done really well tonight. I want to give him his credit, he got up, time and time again.”
Paul said he believes he can still reach the top of the sport, even after this defeat. He thinks he suffered a broken jaw.
“I’m feeling good, that was fun, I love this sport,” Paul said. “Anthony is a great fighter and I got beat but that’s what this sport is about. I have already won in every way of life. This sport has helped me so much. I think my jaw is broken. It’s definitely broke but man, that was good. I’m going to come back and get a world championship belt at some point. I just got tired to be honest. He did amazing and hits really hard.”
