The former heavyweight champion defeated the social media star turned fighter in Miami with a sixth-round KO.
Published December 20, 2025
Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua knocked out YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a controversial Netflix-sponsored bout in Miami.
Two-time world champion Joshua worked hard to defeat his inexperienced opponent on Friday night, but he finally showed his superior size and power in the second half of the eight-round fight.
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The unremarkable contest at the Caseya Center, in which the pair reportedly split a whopping $184 million in purses, devolved into farce at times, with Paul repeatedly falling to the canvas or grappling with Joshua’s leg.
At one stage even referee Christopher Young appeared to be losing patience, warning the fighters in the fourth round: “Fans aren’t paying to see this crap.”
As Paul tired, Joshua finally began to land punches with regularity, knocking the American down twice in the fifth round before quickly settling the fight in the sixth.
Joshua backed the 28-year-old Paul into a corner and teed him up with a crunching left before delivering a knockout right to the jaw, sending his opponent crashing to the canvas.
“It wasn’t my best performance,” the 36-year-old admitted later. “But the ultimate goal was to grab Jake Paul, hold him down and hurt him.
“That was the first request and it was on my mind. It took a little longer than expected, but the right hand finally found its destination.”
Meanwhile, Joshua praised Paul for holding on until the later rounds.
“I want to give him props, he got up a lot,” Joshua said. “It was difficult for him there, but he kept trying to find a way. It takes a real man to do that.”
Meanwhile, Paul, bleeding from the mouth during Joshua’s final assault, said he thought his jaw was broken, but was satisfied with his performance.
“It was fun. I gave it my all,” Paul said. “It was a lot of fun. By the way, I think my jaw is broken. But Anthony is one of the best to ever do it. I’ll come back and win the world championship.”
“To be honest, I was a little tired. I think it was hard to handle his weight. If my cardio was better, I think I could have kept it up and kept fighting. But he hits really hard.”
The match was broadcast live to Netflix’s approximately 300 million subscribers.
The contest, made for streaming on Friday, came just a year after Paul fought 58-year-old Mike Tyson in a much-derided Netflix bout, but it caused alarm across boxing given the difference in size and experience between the two men.
However, the devastating first- or second-round knockout by Joshua that many expected did not materialize as Paul fought desperately to stay outside of the 2012 Olympic champion’s range.
Joshua, fighting for the first time in 15 months, looked a more threatening fighter than usual, landing 48 of 146 punches compared to Paul’s only 16 total.
