Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua knocked out YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in the sixth round of their heavyweight bout in Miami, ending a highly publicised and controversial fight streamed live on Netflix.
Joshua, a two-time heavyweight world champion, used his size and experience to wear down Paul before delivering the decisive blow at the Kaseya Center on Friday night.
The eight-round non-title bout had drawn global attention, largely because of the gap in experience between the two fighters. Joshua, an Olympic gold medallist and former unified champion, was facing a social media star still early in his professional boxing career.
The fight struggled to find rhythm in the early rounds. Paul repeatedly went to the canvas and often resorted to clinching and grabbing at Joshua’s legs to survive. The contest drew visible frustration from the referee as the action slowed.
As the fight progressed, Joshua began to assert control. He knocked Paul down twice in the fifth round before finishing the contest in the sixth. Joshua backed Paul into a corner and landed a powerful combination, ending the fight with a right hand that sent the American crashing to the canvas.
The bout was carried live to Netflix’s global audience, reportedly reaching hundreds of millions of subscribers. The fighters are said to have shared a purse estimated at $184 million.
Joshua, fighting for the first time in 15 months, landed 48 punches from 146 thrown, compared to Paul’s 16 landed punches. Despite lasting longer than many expected, Paul appeared exhausted by the later rounds.
The fight came just over a year after Paul faced 58-year-old Mike Tyson in another widely criticised exhibition, raising renewed debate about safety and matchmaking in crossover boxing events.
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