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.

First things first: you’re allowed to be disappointed, angry, or even jealous.

Such feelings are always valid when professionals are paid so handsomely for turning in the kind of work performance that would have others fearing for their jobs. That’s what happened on Friday night in Miami. And yes, Anthony Joshua underperformed by his own admission, but if you’re expending the majority of your energy on him, I’m afraid you got his fight with Jake Paul completely wrong.

The craving was intense for Joshua, a former two-time world heavyweight champion, to make Paul a meme by leaving him staring up at the lights in the Kaseya Center. Many wanted to see that happen inside 30 seconds. Many said that “AJ” going four or more rounds with this YouTuber-turned-boxer would ruin his legacy. Hell, many said this fight would be rigged – a claim easily disproved but spouted repeatedly regardless.

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Truthfully, many of these desires and predictions betrayed a fundamental lack of understanding of boxing, and that is not meant condescendingly. There was always going to be a lot of “I told you so” on Saturday, regardless of what happened between Joshua and Paul. If Joshua, 36, had erased his opponent in 30 seconds, it would have been “I told you so”; if Paul, 28, had survived the full eight rounds, it would have been “I told you so”.

And there’s a temptation to claim an “I told you so” of our own, having suggested that fans wouldn’t get their desired, internet-breaking image of a pulverised Paul; rather, Joshua breaking down the American and forcing a stoppage always felt likelier to us. That is what happened in the end. However, anyone who told you pre-fight that they truly knew what was going to happen was lying to you. They didn’t.

For example, even those who felt Joshua might take several rounds to get rid of Paul were largely taking this stance because they thought the Briton – after 15 months out of the ring, following a brutal loss – might just want to take his time and enjoy being in the ring, under the brightest lights once again.

In fact, some pundits felt that Joshua might struggle to pin down Paul, believing that the YouTuber’s shorter stature would prove awkward for AJ, and that Paul would be on the move for the majority of the bout. Both of these predictions were proven true, having already been vindicated by the revelation that Paul had obtained a larger-than-usual ring.

But no one specifically predicted that a key part of Paul’s survival plan would be to dive at Joshua’s legs time and time again, seemingly in a bid to buy time and avoid damage.

This might seem a shallow observation on which to pin this article, but really, one particular recap video highlighted in just 90 seconds how flagrant Paul was with this tactic – if one can call it that, and it seemed deliberate enough to validate the word. Paul landed a reported 16 punches in the fight, and he seemed to dive at Joshua’s legs almost as many times.

In any other contest, a referee would surely be much more tempted to dock the fighter a point or even wave off the action, due to the boxer’s lack of desire to engage.

For what it is worth, it still feels there is a duty to give Paul some credit. You might not like that, but the fact that Paul landed 16 punches should hoist your shoulders into an accepting shrug. It is also honourable that he climbed off the canvas three times after separate knockdowns – apparently with a broken jaw – before succumbing to a fourth in round six. He was in with Anthony Joshua, for goodness’s sake.

The issue is, where one might want to give Paul credit for simply sharing the ring with Joshua in the first place, much of this credit was erased – in the way that many fans wish Paul had been. That’s courtesy of his approach to the fight. Let’s be clear: most viewers would likely have found themselves clinging to Joshua’s legs, seeking an escape, in the way Paul did. But the viewers were the ones buying the fight (or at least signing into Netflix), not selling it.

And once again, Paul sold something that did not come to pass. The problem here is that, while we can and should criticise him for this, viewers must also take responsibility.

How many swore never to watch Paul box again, after he went eight two-minute rounds in an action-light fight with a 58-year-old Mike Tyson 13 months ago? How many of those viewers tuned in on Friday, regardless?

Furthermore, how many will tune in for one of his future fights, once he picks the right opponent? You may tell yourself you won’t, and it’s not fair of us to tell you that your word is not worth the cost of a month’s Netflix subscription, but make no mistake: Joshua did not kill off Paul in the boxing ecosystem; the YouTuber will be back.

These pages have been more accepting and forgiving of Paul’s boxing venture than many others. He has brought countless eyeballs to the sport, and he has weaponised people’s loathing in a way that demands at least some credit, whether you can bring yourself to respect him or not. This has always been at the heart of Paul’s boxing journey: he has made his money off knowing how to wind you up, so it’s not worth falling for it, yet so many people do.

In that regard, some of this disappointment in AJ may be projection. Deep down, many viewers are probably disappointed in themselves. But the anger? Yes, you are very much allowed to be angry at Jake Paul. He sold you a fight, and fight he did not.

Anthony Joshua looks set to lose almost half of the huge payout he received for his fight against Jake Paul.

The British heavyweight reportedly earned around £70 million for the bout, but may actually keep closer to £35 million.

The 36-year-old dispatched the YouTuber-turned-boxer in the sixth round, landing a knockout blow. There has been some strong backlash to the fight, as Joshua was expected to dominate Paul a lot more than he actually did.

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While the former two-time heavyweight champion earned his victory, a lot of fans still see the event as a joke that cannot be taken seriously. Both men’s pockets would strongly disagree with that assessment, as they both bagged huge paydays in Miami.

Anthony Joshua’s Pockets to Be Hit After Netflix Blockbuster

AJ may have won the Netflix-broadcast bout, but the Brit is expected to be hit harder than his American opponent. While reported purses for both men have varied slightly, the common number reported to have been split between them was $184m.

That would work out at roughly £70 million per fighter, but Joshua won’t see all of that money. Instead, he’s going to be hit by both British and American tax laws. Per a press release from AceOdds, the Englishman could lose up to £33 million in US Federal Tax, payments to HMRC and National Insurance contributions in the UK.

Data experts worked out the exact breakdown of how much he will have to hand over in tax, as the press release stated: “Assuming the £70m figure is accurate, Joshua would be lumbered with a total tax bill of £31,386,203 on his earnings from the fight.”

In short, £25,867,333 of the money would be his US tax contribution, while a further £5,618,870 and £1,401,257 would go to HMRC and national insurance payments, respectively. That would leave him with just 53% of the reported £70 million. That’s still a handsome sum of cash.

Anthony Joshua Full of ‘Respect’ For Hospital-Bound Jake Paul

Despite sending his opponent to the hospital with a severely broken jaw, Joshua was quick to send praise Paul’s way after the fight. He stated:

“It wasn’t the best performance. The end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and hurt him. That has been the request leading up, and that’s what was on my mind. It took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand finally found the destination.

Anthony Joshua admits he ‘deserves’ criticism for taking so long to knock out Jake Paul

Anthony Joshua has been left frustrated he wasn’t able to end his fight with Jake Paul sooner.

The experienced British heavyweight was an overwhelming favourite to get the job done against influencer-boxer Paul in their surprise showdown.

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And Paul came out with a game plan to stop Joshua landing his killer shot with some bizarre and scrappy tactics, although it saw him dropped four times.

In the sixth round, AJ finally landed that clean blow, a thumping right hand, which left Paul in a heap on the canvas.

But many had expected a stoppage in the opening stages, as had Joshua, who was hoping to give himself an early night.

When asked by talkSPORT if he felt criticism of his display was justified, Joshua replied: “I deserve it.

“Because we are elite fighters, if I put myself in the shoes of a coach, if my fighter did six rounds with Jake Paul…

“I would get him back in the gym tomorrow, give him a bit of a beating and get straight back to work.

“I’d be like ‘how are you letting this kid take you six rounds, are you crazy?’.

“But I can’t go back in time, but credit to him, he done well. I told him what would happen but it just took six rounds to do it.”

Joshua’s plans for 2026 and Tyson Fury message

Joshua is now expected to move into next year with a full focus on a final assault on the heavyweight division.

It has been agreed with Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh that he will first fight in February.

And it is expected that will then lead to an inevitable showdown with long-term rival Tyson Fury in the summer next year.

It is a highly anticipated clash and a big year for the former two-time champion, who is willing to waste no time to pursue the ‘Gypsy King’.

He continued to talkSPORT: “Yeah I think what happens is, is that your peak fitness leaves you after 14 days.

“So I will have 7-10 days doing some recovery and then I am going to get straight back to where we left off.

“I’m not going to disrespect Fury, but I deserve the fight, the fans deserve it.

“It’s such a shame, the guy needs to grow a backbone, you win some and you lose some.

“I definitely beat him, 100 per cent.”

Eddie Hearn’s verdict

Joshua’s promoter Hearn was less focused on the performance, and was keen to brush away any criticism.

He believes ultimately it was a good night’s work with a big 2026 now in the rear view mirror.

He added to talkSPORT: “It was a frustrating two or three rounds. Jake was moving around, I was impressed with his toughness.

“We got six good rounds in the end, I think it was a positive to be honest.

“It could have been done in seconds, but he’s done an eight-week camp and now has something to work on for 2026.”

A battered and bruised Jake Paul has responded to suggestions that his fight against Anthony Joshua was “rigged” by posting a clip of himself getting punched with a huge right hand that Paul says broke his jaw.

Joshua stopped Paul in the sixth round of their heavyweight contest, knocking down the YouTuber on three occasions before putting him away with a vicious right hand at the 1:31 mark of round six.

The American, who now holds a professional record of 12-2 with seven knockouts, spent much of the fight in survival mode.

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But to his credit, he fought valiantly and landed a handful of punches on the former heavyweight champion. “He’s done really well tonight… I want to give him his props,” said Joshua as he addressed Paul’s performance in the ring.

He added: “It takes a real man to do that. Anyone who laces up these gloves, you give them respect.”

Paul looked worse for wear in the aftermath of Friday’s fight. In fact, MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian provided an update on the American’s condition at the post-fight press conference and suggested he was en route to the hospital.

“We think he broke his jaw,” said Bidarian. “He’s fine. We met with Netflix afterwards. He took a shower. He drove himself to the hospital. A broken jaw is common in sports, particularly in boxing or MMA, and I think the recovery time is four to six weeks.”

Shortly after Bidarian’s update, Paul posted a video of himself getting punched in the face by Joshua. Taking to Instagram, he sent a clear message to the doubters, captioning the clip “RIGGED?”

Paul could be seen spitting blood from his mouth after the TKO defeat. He also posted several pictures of his injuries, as seen below.

“That was crazy…. I had a blast,” Paul said in his post-fight interview. “I’m blessed by God to put on a performance like this. Anthony is a great fighter, I got my arse beat. But I’ll come back and keep winning.

“I’ve already won in every single way in life, my family, my jaw is broken by the way, it’s definitely broke, nice little arse whooping from one of the best to ever do it. Honestly, I’m not surprised, I just got tired, so much handling his weight, I think with better cardio, I could’ve kept fighting. I did my personal best.”

Paul added: “Oh, for sure, we’ll heel the broken jaw, go back, fight people my own weight and go for the cruiserweight world title.”

Prior to Friday’s event in Miami, a number of high-profile names questioned the legitimacy of the contest, including former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, who claimed it was ‘scripted’ because of the weight difference.

“You know, for me, in my opinion, I think it’s scripted a little bit because of the weight difference and Joshua’s a former champion and also he’s current, he’s active. This is going to be the first time that we see Paul fighting an active fighter,” he told Fight Hub TV.

“We’ve seen the Mike Tyson, that was all fun, that was cute… it’s fun and games But now you’re dealing with a real professional. We’ll see how it ends up.”

He added: “I think it’s scripted. At the end of the day, I just want everybody to have fun. I want them to enjoy themselves because we risk our lives for others’ entertainment.”

Paul has been accused of fixing his fights, but there is no evidence to back up such claims.