It was believed that former world champion Anthony Joshua would be the hardest test in the boxing career of blogger Jake Paul. But the most anticipated fight of the end of the year turned out to be a natural beating and a hard knockout for the American.

“Let’s kill each other”

Negotiations to organize the fight between Paul and Joshua were difficult. There were talks about their fight back in the summer of 2025, but it was only possible to agree on the terms of the confrontation in November, when Jake’s fight with another professional boxer Gervonta Davis fell through.

The confrontation with the Briton was to be the biggest test of Paul’s career. Previously, the American selected the most convenient opponents for himself, whom he could “heroically” defeat for the amusement of his many fans. One elderly Mike Tyson is worth something. The only misfire in Paul’s career happened in a fight with Tommy Fury.

In the fight against Joshua, none of the experts seriously believed in Jake’s success. Someone even suggested that the pursuit of a huge fee and popularity could be the end of the career of the American boxer-blogger. Anthony was also tough.

– This is my job. We have a license to kill. I’m sure many people don’t understand this, but this is my job. I just love what I do. No matter what happens, the main thing is that my hand is raised. I’m ready. I want him to hit me with the hardest blows. I want there to be no excuses after all this. Let’s kill each other,” Joshua said before the fight.

Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua / Photo: © Leonardo Fernandez / Stringer / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

“I think my jaw is broken.”

But, contrary to words, in the first four rounds the Briton was in no hurry to “kill” his opponent. Joshua acted as pragmatically as possible, only occasionally landing heavy blows. Paul was sorely lacking in size, and the difference in technology was simply colossal. Jake tried occasionally to get close, but these attacks resembled mosquito bites.

Fans of conspiracy theories have quite reasonable grounds for their claims against the Briton after what happened in the fifth round. As soon as the equator of the fight passed, Joshua changed dramatically, starting to use heavy blows. Perhaps Anthony’s team had such a plan, or perhaps he did not want to quickly finish the action for which he received a lot of money.

Tired Paul by this time could hardly stand on his feet, very tired. Although Jake fought bravely, he looked downright pitiful against the ex-champion. Finishing off an exhausted opponent was a matter of technique. In the fifth round, Paul was knocked down twice, but held out until the bell. The next segment was the last for the American.

Jake missed a heavy blow to the jaw, after which he was unable to continue the fight. The broadcast operator showed a close-up of the American’s mouth, from which blood was pouring profusely. The blogger even defiantly stuck out his bloody tongue. After the fight, Paul stated that Joshua probably caused him a serious injury.

“I think my jaw is broken,” Paul said in an interview with Ariel Helwani.

After the fight, Joshua did not waste any time and “threw the bait” for another money fight, calling out compatriot Tyson Fury. Promoters have long dreamed of a confrontation between two top British heavyweights.