Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua delivered a statement performance on Saturday morning, stopping YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul with a crushing sixth-round knockout in their heavyweight clash in Miami.

Paul earned some credit for surviving the early rounds and showing flashes of ambition, but the gap in class, power and experience eventually told. Joshua remained patient, broke Paul down, and closed the show emphatically.

The contest swung decisively in the fifth round. Joshua landed a sharp early uppercut that forced Paul into a desperate clinch before he dropped to the canvas, seemingly searching for a breather. Paul briefly rallied, catching Joshua with an overhand right as the former champion stepped forward his best moment of the fight.

That moment did little to slow Joshua’s momentum. Late in the round, Paul took a knee under sustained pressure as Joshua’s punches began to pile up. Moments later, a right hand sent Paul down again, and although he made it to the bell, he was visibly shaken by a late combination.

Joshua wasted no time in the sixth. A right-hand–left-hook combination put Paul on the back foot before another right hand to the top of the head sent him crashing to the canvas. Sensing the end, Joshua pinned his opponent to the ropes and unloaded. A brutal right hand to the chin finally ended the fight, leaving Paul unable to beat the referee’s count.

The win marked Joshua’s return after a 15-month absence, his first outing since being knocked out by Daniel Dubois in their IBF heavyweight title fight in September 2024. Despite the emphatic finish, Joshua was critical of himself afterward.

“It wasn’t the best performance, it wasn’t the best,” Joshua admitted.

“The end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down, and hurt him. That’s what was on my mind. It took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand finally found the destination.

“I said I’m going to take his soul… When the time comes, some people are just there to get knocked out,” he added.

In his post-fight interview, Joshua also reignited talk of a long-awaited showdown with fellow former champion Tyson Fury.

“If Tyson Fury’s as serious as he thinks he is and wants to stop talking on Twitter and put on some gloves, step in the ring with me next,” Joshua said.

“Don’t do all that talking. Let’s see you talk with your fists.”

Paul, despite the defeat, remained defiant. The American revealed he suffered a broken jaw and was taken to hospital but insisted his boxing journey was far from over.

“I think my jaw is broken. That was a nice little ass-whopping from one of the best to ever do it,” Paul said.

“I love this, and I’m going to come back and get a world championship belt at some point. I’m going to take a little break, i’ve been going hard for six years.”

The loss was the second of Paul’s professional career. Ranked No. 14 at cruiserweight by the WBA, he has previously recorded high-profile wins, including a points victory over Julio Cesar Chávez Jr. in June and a controversial bout against a 58-year-old Mike Tyson in November 2024.