Jake Paul made the most of an oversized boxing ring on Friday, doing his best to evade the heavyweight giant in front of him, Anthony Joshua, who, despite his best years, is still a thunderous fighter with 245 pounds of bulk, bruising and concussive power behind many of his strikes.
The crowd inside Miami’s Casea Center booed, and the reaction from the home crowd was even worse as Paul danced and avoided confrontation until he was exhausted and unable to prevent what was inevitable from the start in the sixth round – a knockout.
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However, the internet sensation also has its moments of authenticity. He knocked Joshua’s head back with a jab, and despite the cartoonish height difference, he landed uppercuts and the occasional one-two.
If he was looking for content, he found it. Despite the seemingly inevitable outcome, the latest fight, which aired on Netflix on Friday, remains one of the most memorable fights in boxing in 2025.
Although Paul didn’t hear the final bell, he answered the criticism that has dogged him for years. He’s no longer the creator who left YouTube just to feud with former MMA fighters or aging legends.
He’s not just competing against people his own size in his sport. He is now the opponent of one of the most important heavyweights of the past 25 years, and although he was sent to the stage four times and sent to the hospital with a broken jaw twice, Paul can continue to advance in the sport with his head held high.
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Clearly, heavyweight wasn’t an option if he wanted to continue his boxing journey, but his remarkable development from complete novice to bona fide headliner – combined with boxing’s long-rigged structure – suggests that one of the things he’s threatened for years actually has a chance of coming true.
“I love it and I’m going to come back and win a world title at some point,” Paul told Uncrown’s Ariel Helwani in the ring on Friday while vomiting blood from the injury.
We can all boo, but he’s also probably right.
If Paul returns to lightweight (his natural weight class), the sanctioning body will no longer rule out his path to a world title.
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Current champions in the division include Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, who will face David Benavidez at Cinco de Mayo in 2026; Jai Opetaia, who could become a heavyweight in the future; and Noel Mikaeljan, who just defeated Badou Jack. Couple Jake’s recent performance with Paul’s improvement – in the way he strikes, moves around the ring and throws punches – and it’s not far-fetched that Paul could make it through the fight at 200 pounds, as long as he addresses his biggest flaw: sustaining a 36-minute fight under constant pressure.
Even Joshua gave Paul his support. “He did really well in the scuffle,” Joshua said late on Friday night. “When you’re in survival mode, you’re always trying to find a way. He tied my hands up really well and when my hands were free, I tried to get some body shots. I tried as hard as I could. It was a little chaotic.”
Paul’s embarrassment forced Joshua to admit that he himself “needs to do better.” He is also convinced that once Paul’s jaw recovers, the 28-year-old can headline a main event again.
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“America, I think someone can… dust the dirt off their shoulders and come back sometime in 2026,” Joshua said.
Paul is currently ranked No. 15 in the WBA’s lightweight rankings, one of boxing’s four major sanctioning bodies, but he still needs to climb significantly to reach the position of current WBA champion Ramirez.
Bridgeweight is a new area that the WBA and WBC have adjusted to in recent years to close the gap between lightweight and heavyweight, and it’s an easier division to navigate given that it’s just getting started. Currently, Kevin Lerena holds the WBC title at 225 pounds, while Muslim Gadzhimagomedov holds the WBA gold medal.
Boxing has never been about a meritocracy but a negotiation between money, timing and opportunity, and Paul seems to understand that better than anyone.
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Stranger things are happening in this day and age than Paul becoming world champion, which is exactly why many of the boos on weekends like this ring hollow.
Paul did not cheat the boxing system. He simply studied it. If the fast-growing, prospect-protecting sport now recoils from his ambitions, it will affect boxing far more than it does him.
