Anthony Joshua made hard work of Jake Paul at the Kaseya Center in Miami on Saturday morning, with the Briton needing six rounds to beat his American rival.
AJ was participating in his first bout since losing to Daniel Dubois at Wembley in September 2024, with the 36-year-old replacing Gervonta Davis – who had to withdraw for legal reasons.
All the pressure was on Joshua from the start, with many fans condemning him for taking on a bout against a former YouTuber and Disney Channel star.
And the Briton was ultimately too strong for Paul, delivering a nervy victory in front of a packed crowd in Florida to end any chances of a sensational sporting upset.
It was, however, far from convincing. At least at the start.
Joshua looked rusty from the outset, with Paul skulking around the edges of the ring looking to catch his opponent off guard.
The American started brighter of the two men, even catching Joshua with some quickfire punches to lift the crowd inside the arena.
Anthony Joshua made hard work of Jake Paul at the Kaseya Center in Miami on Saturday morning, with the Briton needing six rounds to beat his American rival
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GETTY
But Paul often struggled to stay on his feet, with the 28-year-old regularly falling to the ground – much to the dismay of the spectators.
Joshua bounced back from his slow start, with the Briton looking sharper as the contest went on.
The 36-year-old had said before the clash that he’d be disappointed if he didn’t beat Paul via knockout. With his own words ringing in his ears, he then started to up the ante.
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The fifth round was decisive. Joshua knocked Paul to the floor twice, leaving the YouTuber fighting to stay in the round.
When he was sent to the canvas once again in the sixth, having looked dazed and confused, it ultimately proved to be the final straw.
For Joshua, the victory will be a boost. After so long outside off the ring, he managed to bounce back from a stuttering start to secure victory.
Embarrassment, ultimately, had been avoided.
Yet many boxing fans who stayed up to watch the action were left disappointed by what they saw. Instead of an entertaining spectacle, or a major upset, they witnessed a gulf in class that was always going to be the case.
“The entire #jakepaulvsanthonyjoshua fight was pure rubbish. Jake just came to humiliate Anthony Joshua by running around the ring long enough for each round to be finished,” said one user on social media.
Jake Paul put up a big fight against Anthony Joshua on Saturday morning
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A second fumed: “Well what a load of rubbish that fight was.”
Another echoed those words, writing: “Awful fight Jake just trying to run away the whole time. Awful walkouts, Awful anthems, awful commentary and production and a ref that wasn’t calling the fight right. What an horrific night for boxing.”
A fifth said: “If anything this fight really made boxing look bad.”
And a sixth stated: “Pathetic. I hope neither step foot in the ring again.”
