YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul suffered a broken jaw in two places following his knockout loss to former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in Miami on Friday night.
The 27-year-old was floored three times before the referee halted the contest in the sixth round, marking one of the most decisive defeats of Paul’s controversial boxing career.
Paul was unable to attend the post-fight press conference as he immediately sought medical treatment. Nikisa Bidarian, CEO of Paul’s promotional company, Most Valuable Promotions, confirmed the severity of the injury but downplayed concerns about long-term damage.
“He’s fine. He drove himself to the hospital,” Bidarian explained. “A broken jaw is very common in sports, particularly in boxing or MMA. The recovery time from the doctors and surgeons we’ve already talked to is four to six weeks.”
The statistics painted a clear picture of Joshua’s dominance. The British fighter connected on 48 of 146 punches (32.9%), with 31 of those landing in the final two rounds. Paul managed just 16 of 56 punches (28.6%) and failed to land a single blow in the sixth round.
Despite the painful defeat, Paul remained defiant about his boxing future. “I think my jaw is broken by the way. It’s definitely broken,” he said shortly after the fight. “Man, that was good. Nice little whopping from one of the best to ever do it. I love this, and I’m going to come back and get a world championship belt.”
Paul announced plans to move down in weight class upon his return. “We will heal the broken jaw, come back and fight people my weight. I’m going for the cruiserweight world title. I’m going to take a little break. I’ve been going hard for six years.”
Joshua, while victorious, acknowledged his performance fell short of his usual standards. “It wasn’t the best performance,” the two-time heavyweight champion admitted. “The end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down, and hurt him. Took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand found the destination.”
The 35-year-old British boxer praised Paul’s resilience during the bout. “Jake Paul has done really well tonight. I want to give him his props. He got up, time and time again. It was difficult there for him, but he kept on trying to find a way through.”
Looking ahead, Joshua renewed his challenge to fellow British heavyweight Tyson Fury for a potential blockbuster fight in 2026. “If Tyson Fury is as serious as he thinks he is, and he wants to put down his Twitter fingers and put on his gloves, and come and fight one of the realest fighters out there, then I’ll take on the challenge,” Joshua declared.
The victory is expected to earn Joshua approximately £70 million, further cementing his status as one of boxing’s highest-paid athletes. For Paul, the defeat represents a harsh reality check in his transition from social media star to legitimate boxer, though his determination to continue suggests this setback won’t be his final chapter in the ring.
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