MIAMI (AP) — Anthony Joshua knocked out Jake Paul in the sixth round of their heavyweight fight on Friday night.
The two-time heavyweight champion displayed why he is one of the sport’s elite punchers when he dropped the fading Paul twice in the fifth round.
Sensing the YouTuber was finished, Joshua rocked him with a right uppercut early in the sixth. The native of England then floored Paul with a combination to the head.
Although Paul (12-2) reached his feet again, Joshua (29-4, 26 KOs) finally crushed Paul’s upset dream when he dropped him a fourth time with a right to the head. Referee Christopher Young counted Paul out at 1:31 of the round in front of a capacity crowd of 19,600 at the Kaseya Center.
“It took a little bit longer than expected but the right hand finally found its destination,” Joshua said. “Jake Paul’s done really well tonight. I’m going to give him his props. He got up time and time again. I give Jake the respect for trying and trying. He came up against a real fighter tonight.”
With the victory, Joshua now can angle to reclaim the heavyweight title he lost against Oleksandr Usyk. Joshua also has talked about a long discussed match with countryman and former champion, Tyson Fury. However, Fury is currently retired following consecutive losses to Usyk in 2024.
It was Joshua’s first bout since Daniel Dubois knocked him out in five rounds in Sept. 2024.
Joshua methodically established pace against Paul from the opening round as neither fighter engaged early. Midway through the round, Paul threw an overhand right that Joshua blocked with his glove. In the closing seconds, Joshua scored with a right to the head near the ropes.
In the second, Joshua began utilizing his 6-inch reach advantage by leading with a left jab.
Paul scored with a short right to the head early in the fourth. Later in the round, Paul twice fell to the canvas awkwardly as he again attempted to cut distance during close exchanges
“I gave it my all,” Paul said. “Anthony is a great fighter and I got my (rear end) kicked but that what this sport is all about. But I’m going to come back and keep winning.”
Paul weighed 216 pounds and Joshua weighed 243 for the bout.
The 28-year-old Paul, who began his career in Jan. 2020, originally had targeted an exhibition in Miami with lightweight champion Gervonta Davis last month. But Davis encountered legal problems that scrapped the event. Paul quickly pivoted and landed the bout against Joshua in the same venue.
Celebrities in the crowd included golf champion Rory McIlroy, New York Mets slugger Juan Soto, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy and retired NFL receivers Michael Irvin and Brandon Marshall.
In an undercard bout between retired UFC champions, 50-year-old Anderson Silva scored a second-round TKO against Tyron Woodley.
___
AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports and https://www.apnews.com/boxing
