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Jake Paul was knocked out. |
Anthony Joshua stepped into the ring in Miami in a peculiar role: that of a janitor. Not for show, and certainly not to please the crowds who came out of curiosity rather than pure love for boxing.
Before Jake Paul, Joshua did something simple but necessary: he put an end to an experiment that had gone too far.
The obvious truth
This fight was built as a global entertainment event. Netflix streamed it live, the stadiums were packed, and social media was buzzing. But when the bell rang, all that glitz and glamour instantly became irrelevant. Boxing, after all, is a sport of distance, weight, and patience. In all three, Joshua was overwhelmingly superior.
From the very first round, order was established. Joshua stood in the center of the ring, unhurried, without needing to show off. Jake Paul moved around the perimeter, running sideways and then backing down. The pace was slow, even frustrating, but it was a deliberate slowness. Joshua controlled the space. Paul tried to control the time. That difference said it all.
The next two rounds unfolded with the same scenario. Paul ran, clung, avoided contact. Joshua advanced, cut angles, and gradually pressured. The crowd began booing, not because the fight was overly tactical, but because they realized they were witnessing a one-sided chase. Paul wasn't looking to win. He was looking to prolong the fight. In heavyweight boxing, that's a risky approach.
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Jake Paul (left) is no match for Anthony Joshua. |
The first signs of collapse appeared in the third round, when a right hand to the ribs sent Paul reeling. It wasn't a knockdown, but it was a clear warning. Joshua was starting to get close to his opponent's body. And when a heavyweight like Joshua can do that, the outcome is only minutes away.
The fourth round pushed the fight into a tense zone. Paul fell, cried out in pain, and stalled. The match was interrupted several times. The referee was lenient, not deducting points or issuing sufficiently harsh warnings. Each time this happened, the crowd reacted even more vehemently. Boxing can accept defeat, but blatant avoidance is unacceptable.
By the fifth round, all the layers of defense had crumbled. Joshua knocked Paul down with clean, unflashy right-hand punches. Paul got up, his legs unsteady and his eyes unfocused. Joshua cornered him, unleashing a barrage of blows. The bell rang, saving Paul from an earlier end, but only to delay it.
The sixth round was just a formality. Paul fell again, struggled to get up, then collapsed once more. The referee stopped the fight. No one protested. No one was surprised. There was even a sense of relief. This fight shouldn't have lasted this long.
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Anthony Joshua easily defeated Jake Paul. |
A punch that restored order to boxing.
This victory isn't meant to celebrate Anthony Joshua being at the peak of his form. He himself admitted his performance wasn't perfect. But boxing doesn't always need flair. Sometimes, it just needs someone to do their job right. Joshua did it right: patient, imposing his power, and finishing when the time was right.
The greatest value of the fight doesn't lie in the points tally or the huge sums of money each side earns. Jake Paul might promote boxing, generate attention, and attract new audiences. But against a true heavyweight, the limitations of "show boxing" become apparent. No media campaign can withstand a well-placed right punch.
The fact that the fight took place in Miami is symbolic. This city witnessed Cassius Clay's decision to force Sonny Liston to retire in 1964, a moment that shook history. But if the Clay-Liston fight was a revolution, then Joshua-Paul is merely a sobering reminder: boxing may change its form, but its essence remains the same.
Joshua left the ring with many questions still hanging over his head, from his ability to face Tyson Fury to regaining his former glory after his loss to Daniel Dubois. But on a night where the lines between sport and entertainment were stretched to their absolute limit, he fulfilled his most important role.
Boxing, after all, still knows how to defend itself. And sometimes, all it takes is one punch hard enough to remind everyone of that.
Source: https://znews.vn/joshua-ket-thuc-vo-dien-cua-jake-paul-post1613049.html









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