Anthony Joshua improves after a tactical start, puts Jake Paul under pressure with hard bodywork and forces a knockout in the sixth round in Miami.
British heavyweight Anthony Joshua left nothing to be desired at the Kaseya Center and ended the hype fight against social media star Jake Paul with a thunderous knockout in the sixth round. The opening round was tactical. Paul (12-2, 7 knockouts) moved around a lot on his feet, boxing from the back and trying to get out of the way of the physically superior Joshua (29-4, 26 knockouts). Joshua remained patient, taking the first pinpricks to the body, while Paul only managed to land a harmless overhand right.
The former two-time world champion was also unable to consistently cut off the ring in round two. Paul clinched a lot, stifled Joshua’s offense and earned loud boos in return. Joshua remained calm, but was still unable to find the rhythm for clear combinations. The fight finally tipped over from the fourth round onwards. After simple jab duels, Paul went down several times – sometimes without a clear hit, sometimes after body blows. In total, the American was on the mat four times during this phase, including a longer break after a supposed low blow. More knockdowns followed in round five, this time more significant strikes to the body. Paul briefly showed heart with a right hook on the ropes, but Joshua increased the pressure.
The finish came in round six: Joshua drove Paul into the corner, landed a left jab to the body and then detonated a straight right to the head. Paul slumped down and the referee counted him out at 1:31 minutes. After the fight, Joshua was self-critical: “It’s a win, but not a success. I expect more from myself.” Despite the clear knockout triumph, the Brit made it clear that he is looking ahead – back to the real heavyweight race.