Anthony Joshua wasted no time shifting the focus back to elite heavyweight boxing after stopping Jake Paul in Miami, immediately calling out Tyson Fury following a one-sided bout that ended with Paul heading to the hospital with a suspected broken jaw.
Joshua stopped the YouTuber-turned-boxer in the sixth round of Friday night’s fight at the Kaseya Center, flooring Paul four times in a dominant performance that cut through the hype of a Netflix-backed spectacle. The former two-time unified heavyweight champion was candid afterward, acknowledging the fight was not his sharpest showing but insisting the outcome sent the message he intended.
“It wasn’t the best performance,” Joshua said. “The end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and hurt him. That was the request going into this fight, and that’s what I was focused on. It took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand eventually landed.”
Joshua also made a point of praising Paul’s toughness. Despite being knocked down repeatedly, Paul continued to rise and press forward, earning Joshua’s respect.
“Jake Paul did really well tonight,” Joshua said. “He kept getting up time and time again. It was difficult in there for him, but he kept trying to find a way. It takes a real man to do that. Anyone who steps into the ring deserves respect, and Jake deserves respect for trying and trying again.”
Still, Joshua was clear about what the fight ultimately represented.
“He came up against a real fighter tonight,” Joshua said. “I’ve had a 15-month layoff, shook off the cobwebs, and now I’m ready to roll into 2026.”
That future-focused mindset quickly turned into a direct challenge to Tyson Fury, reigniting talk of a long-awaited heavyweight showdown between Britain’s two biggest stars.
“If Tyson Fury is as serious as he says he is, he needs to stop typing on Twitter and put on some gloves,” Joshua said. “Come fight one of the realest fighters out there. Step into the ring with me if you’re really about it. Don’t keep talking ‘AJ this, AJ that.’ Let’s talk with our fists.”
Paul, meanwhile, remained upbeat despite the heavy punishment and a potentially serious injury. Speaking after the fight, he admitted he believed his jaw had been broken but framed the experience as part of his ongoing journey in boxing.
“I’m feeling good. That was fun,” Paul said. “I love this sport. I gave it my all. It’s crazy. Anthony’s a great fighter. I got my ass beat, but that’s what boxing is.”
During a post-fight interview, Paul could be seen spitting blood and openly discussing his injury.
“I think my jaw is broken,” he said. “It’s definitely broken. A nice little ass-whipping from one of the best to ever do it. I love this and I’m going to come back and keep winning.”
Nakisa Bidarian, Paul’s co-founder at Most Valuable Promotions, later confirmed that Paul was being evaluated but downplayed any long-term damage. He said Paul showered after the fight and drove himself to the hospital, adding that broken jaws are relatively common in combat sports and typically require four to six weeks of recovery.
Despite the loss, Paul struck a confident tone, pointing to his life outside the ring and insisting his boxing ambitions remain intact.
“I’ve already won in every way in life,” Paul said. “My family, my beautiful fiancée Jutta Leerdam — this sport has helped me so much. I’m going to come back and win a world championship belt one day.”
For Joshua, the night served as a reset. The novelty fight was handled, the hierarchy reaffirmed, and attention now turns squarely to the biggest unanswered question in heavyweight boxing — whether Tyson Fury will finally step into the ring with him.