Anthony Joshua knocked out Jake Paul in their controversial Netflix-backed boxing match at Miami’s Kaseya Centre on Friday.
The fighters split a staggering purse of USD 184 million, making the bout one of the most lucrative in boxing history.
Joshua, a two-time world heavyweight champion, struggled early against the less experienced Paul but eventually used his superior size and power to dominate the later rounds. The fight descended into farce at times, with Paul repeatedly falling to the canvas and grappling with Joshua’s legs. Referee Christopher Young even warned both fighters in the fourth round, saying, “The fans did not pay to see this crap.”
Joshua knocked Paul down twice in the fifth round before finishing him in the sixth. He backed Paul into a corner, landed a left, and then delivered a crushing right to the chin that floored the American.
“It wasn’t the best performance,” Joshua admitted. “But the end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and hurt him. It took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand finally found its destination.”
Joshua praised Paul’s resilience, while Paul, bloodied and claiming a broken jaw, said he enjoyed the fight despite the loss. “That was fun. I gave it my all,” Paul said. “Anthony’s one of the best to ever do it. I’ll come back and win a world championship.”
Joshua, fighting for the first time in 15 months, landed 48 of 146 punches, compared to Paul’s meagre 16 punches landed. The fight followed Paul’s much-criticised Netflix bout against Mike Tyson in 2024 and reignited debate about mismatched contests in modern boxing.
