Anthony Joshua marked his return to professional boxing with a knockout victory over Jake Paul, stopping the YouTuber-turned-boxer in the sixth round of their highly anticipated bout streamed live on Netflix.
The former heavyweight champion went into the fight as an overwhelming favourite, with anything other than a knockout widely expected to rank among the biggest shocks in boxing history.
While Paul came into the contest with 12 wins from 13 professional fights, including seven knockouts, most of those victories had come against ageing fighters or MMA converts, with his lone bout against an established professional boxer ending in defeat.
Joshua’s class and experience were always expected to prove decisive at the Kaseya Center in Miami.
That view was shared by his promoter Eddie Hearn, who had described Paul as “petrified” and “deluded” in the build-up, insisting the fight was designed to boost Joshua’s profile in the United States while delivering one of the biggest paydays of his career.
The plan, according to Hearn, was simple: knock Paul out early and move on. While the knockout did come, it took longer than many expected.
Joshua was repeatedly frustrated by Paul’s movement and durability, but he remained patient, gradually breaking his opponent down before finally ending the contest in the sixth round.
Joshua had insisted before the fight that there was “zero chance” it would go the distance, and although he may have preferred a quicker finish, the emphatic stoppage ensured there was no room for embarrassment.
Paul, who had talked confidently about pulling off a shock victory and even challenging for a world title, was ultimately outclassed as the fight wore on.
There had been some concern about Joshua’s sharpness, given this was his first bout in over a year following the loss of his heavyweight title to Daniel Dubois. Those doubts were eased as the Watford-born boxer showed composure, power and intent, promising beforehand to show “no mercy” and delivering on that pledge under the lights in Miami.
After several tense rounds, Joshua finally found the opening he needed, sending Paul to the canvas and bringing an end to the spectacle. It was a dominant, if occasionally frustrating, performance that underlined the gulf in experience between the two fighters and set the stage for Joshua’s return to elite-level competition.
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