Anthony Joshua beat Jake Paul as many expected this past weekend.
This contest was a huge mismatch in every way. Joshua has been fighting for almost 20 years at the top level, starting out at the Olympics with a gold medal, then quickly imposing himself on the heavyweight division.
He became world champion in 2016, when Paul was still acting on the Disney Channel, and unified the division with some huge fights against the likes of Wladimir Klitschko and Joseph Parker.
He came unstuck in 2021 and 2022 with back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, and also lost to Daniel Dubois last time out in September 2024.
Meanwhile, Paul has fought largely ageing boxers past their best, and old MMA stars who have switched codes. As such, it was little surprise to see him stopped inside six rounds and leave the ring with a badly broken jaw, having barely landed a glove on Joshua.
Speaking to Fight Hub TV, Joshua was asked how he felt about his performance.
“Could have been better but we got there in the end.”
He was then rather dismissive when asked about Paul’s power.
“It was alright.”
Finally, he was asked if he was surprised Paul lasted as along as he did.
“Kinda.”
Joshua will be looking to get back to fighting more credible opponents in 2026 as he looks to work his way back into world title contention or the biggest fights possible.
The one the fans most want to see is with Tyson Fury, his fellow Brit and long time rival, and the man ‘AJ’ called out in the ring soon after his fight with Paul ended. For now, Fury is still retired, having left the sport back in January, just days after his second straight loss to Usyk.
