Former two-time heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua delivered a dominant display in the United States on Saturday morning, stopping YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in the sixth round of their heavyweight bout in Miami to secure his first professional victory on American soil.
Joshua controlled the contest from the opening bell before ending the fight by stoppage, improving his professional record to 29 wins and four defeats, with 26 victories coming by knockout.
Speaking after the bout, Joshua admitted the performance was not his sharpest but said patience was crucial to breaking down his opponent.
“First of all, love to the crowd, I appreciate everyone in this venue,” Joshua said.
“It wasn’t the best performance. The end goal was to pin Jake Paul down and hurt him. That has been the request leading up, that was on my mind. It took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand finally found the destination.
“Jake Paul has done really well tonight, I want to give him the props. He got up time and time again. It was difficult in there for him, but he kept trying to find a way. It takes a real man to do that. You have to give Jake credit for trying, but he came up against a real fighter tonight.”
Looking ahead, Joshua hinted at major plans for the future and issued a challenge to long-time rival Tyson Fury.
“We shook off the cobwebs, I can’t wait for 2026. If Tyson Fury is as serious as he says he is, and he wants to put down his Twitter fingers and put on some gloves, and come and fight one of the realest fighters out there, step into there with me next if you’re a really bad boy,” he said.
Despite the defeat, Paul remained upbeat and praised Joshua’s performance, insisting he would continue his boxing career.
“I’m feeling good, that was fun, I love this sport. I gave it my all, it’s crazy. I had a blast, thank you to all the fans,” Paul said.
“Anthony Joshua is a great fighter, I got beat but that’s what this sport is about. I will come back and keep on winning.
“I’ve already won in every single way of life. My family, my beautiful fiancé — this sport has helped me so much in my life. I think my jaw is broken, it’s definitely broke. That was good, I’ll come back and get a world championship belt at some point.”
Paul said he was not surprised to have lasted six rounds against the former world champion.
“I’m not surprised, I just got tired. It was a lot handling his weight. If I had better cardio I think I could have kept on fighting. I did my personal best,” he said.
Confirming his intention to continue boxing, Paul added: “For sure. We will heal the broken jaw, come back and fight people my weight. I’m going for the cruiserweight world title.”
On his immediate plans, he said: “I’m going to take a little break. I’ve been going hard for six years. I’ll take some time off. This is amazing.”
