Nigerian-born British boxer Anthony Joshua has knocked out Jake Paul a few moments ago, in Miami.
Joshua, a former two-time world heavyweight champion, faced Paul in a professional heavyweight contest in Miami, meaning knockouts were allowed – despite many fans questioning the legitimacy of the fight.
Britain’s two-time world heavyweight champion struggled to pin down Paul in the early rounds but finally ended the fight with a huge right hand in the sixth round.
Paul, who had struggled to keep his footing throughout the fight, toppled down by the ropes and the referee waved it off as he rose to his feet.
But Joshua admitted afterwards that it “wasn’t the best performance”, with many boxing fans expecting him to finish the fight against a novice opponent much sooner.
Paul, 28, had beaten the referee’s count on three previous occasions but could not this time, as he was counted out and beaten for the second time in his pro career.
Boos rained down as the fight progressed, with Paul repeatedly diving at Joshua’s legs, perhaps in a bid to avoid damage and buy time.
Paul even taunted Joshua by sticking out his tongue at the former world champion, and the YouTuber even produced noteworthy moments with occasional jabs and hooks landing on AJ.
Paul was warned by the referee for his repeated attempts to grab Joshua’s legs, as the American tried to drag Joshua down with him more than once.
At one point, Paul alleged he had been the victim of a low blow and was given time to recover, with the 28-year-old taking about a minute of it – having actually hit his groin on Joshua’s knee while stumbling to the canvas.
“The fans did not pay to see this,” the referee warned both fighters, but the fans soon got what they did pay to see.
An uppercut hurt Paul in the fifth round, as Joshua landed his best shot of the fight, leading the YouTuber to collapse to his knees to buy time yet again. Still no knockdown was ruled, but in the ensuing moments, Paul was visibly tired and less mobile than before. Joshua punished him with body shots, and Paul appeared to tweak his leg while retreating.
Joshua hurt Paul again and was finally awarded a knockdown, before scoring a second by spearing a right cross onto the chin of Paul, who just survived to the bell.
Joshua floored a cornered Paul with a piston right cross in the sixth frame, and Paul, to his credit, managed to keep fighting.
He even taunted Joshua again, sticking out his tongue at AJ, who continued to stalk the influencer before crumpling him in the corner for a fourth knockdown.
This time, Paul was unable to rise in time, marking the end of the controversial fight and sending the fans into raptures.
“I appreciate everyone in this venue,” Joshua said after the fight. “It wasn’t the best performance. The end goal was to get him, pin him down and hurt him. That’s what people wanted, that was on my mind. It took longer than expected.
“Now, Jake Paul has done really well tonight. He got up, time and time again. It was difficult for me in there. We give them their respect, he tried and tried, but he came up against a real fighter in there.
