Although it took longer than he anticipated, Anthony Joshua (29-4, 26 KOs) knocked out Jake Paul (12-2, 7 KOs) in the sixth round of their main event on Netflix, Friday night in Miami. Paul earned tens of millions, but with that came a broken jaw in two places. Regardless of how the fight played out and the injury it caused, Paul got what he wanted: a legitimate fight that would earn him respect rather than shame (according to the overwhelming number of social media posts), and a viral moment that will only add to the money in his bank account.
The fights leading up to the main event were decent at best, with the only highlight being Anderson Silva detonating Tyrone Woodley with an uppercut that had him seeing the stars. Then, when it was time for walkouts, Joshua had hip-hop artist Freeway perform the music for his ringwalk. Then Paul followed, dressed in Hulk Hogan‘s colors, as they appeared to have been close. The surprise, which sent the young, social media-influencer-heavy crowd into a frenzy, was the appearance of hip-hop artist 6ix9ine. Both fighters were finally in the ring, and the crowd was ready for the main event, or so they thought.
Once the bell rang to start the fight, it was clear that Paul was there to survive. He was using his feet to move around the 22×22 ring and hoping to land a punch that Joshua won’t see coming to create a moment. That didn’t quite play itself out as Joshua landed a right hand here and there, which quickly reminded Paul who he was in the ring with.
After the second round, the antics began as Paul kept holding and throwing himself to the floor to break up the action. The crowd grew antsy and started booing. Joshua then went to the body in rounds four and five, which slowed Paul down significantly. After a few knockdowns, Joshua finally had Paul lined up in the sixth round and landed a straight right hand that broke his jaw in two places. Paul sat up and could be seen as saying “whoa,” a move that was seen as being quick on the draw, as he knew it would be a viral moment. Unable to beat the count, Joshua was awarded the knockout victory and proved that there are levels in boxing.
This is where Paul got what he wanted. Coming into fight night, he knew that whatever the outcome, there was nothing to lose. Paul made, if you believe the rumors, anywhere between 40 and 50 million dollars. After the fight, all that anyone was talking about was Paul’s broken jaw and how he had a ton of guts to face someone like Joshua.
Since the start of his boxing journey, critics have pointed out that Paul hadn’t faced a “real active fighter,” as his opponents were mostly social media influencers, athletes, MMA fighters, and past-their-prime boxers. Paul got the “street cred” from plenty in boxing for being knocked out by a former two-time heavyweight champion. That right there is enough for him to continue his career as a fighter if he chooses to.
For those thinking that Friday night’s knockout would put an end to Paul’s boxing career, I would argue that it made it even bigger. His partner, Nakisa Bidarian, almost instantly injected the narrative that Paul was beaten by size and not by skill. Now, Paul will go away for some time to recover from his broken jaw, and when he returns to fight a cruiserweight, all will be forgotten as he will be known as the guy who had the guts to fight Joshua.
Paul and his team have mastered the social media machine, and this knockout loss has already become something they can build on for the next chapter. The WBC President, Mauricio Sulaiman, had publicly stated on X before the fight that, whatever happens, he feels “the world must respect” Paul. That right there is a good reminder that at the end of the day, boxing is a business more than it’s a sport, so this won’t be the last time Paul gets a big opportunity. As long as the numbers are being generated, Paul will continue to be handsomely compensated for his efforts.
On Friday night in Miami, Paul got what he wanted, and as long as people keep tuning in, he will continue to host some of the biggest events that boxing has had in its rich history.
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