According to Jake Paul’s scorecards, he was tied with Anthony Joshua at two rounds apiece — right up until he got dropped by the former unified heavyweight champion in their Netflix boxing match from Miami.
Once Joshua landed clean, a considerable feat when you factor in all the takedowns from Paul, “AJ” was able to break “El Gallo’s” jaw and finish the fight in the sixth frame. That’s four rounds longer than former UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou, lasted against Joshua in last year’s crossover boxing match.
Ngannou was smoked by “AJ” in the second stanza.
“It’s not that hard to get your ass beat,” Paul said on Impaulsive. “I won two rounds, for sure, and then he won two, and then I got dropped. I was doing good. I just think my cardio, just the mental pressure of the big guy, and sparring the big people, is different than the 10 ounce gloves. So I was feeling his power a lot more. But it was a great experience. I learned a lot in there. I told everyone though, that I would do better than Francis, and that Francis kind of got no chin. Francis is low-key soft. I’ll fight Francis. I think maybe now he’ll take it.“
Ngannou was Paul’s first choice for the Dec. 19 replacement headliner but the “dumbass” turned it down because it “made no sense,” a decision that remains “very confusing.”
“The most fascinating thing of the whole night, in terms of the fight, was how [Paul] didn’t get flatlined by that right hand,” promoter Eddie Hearn told Ariel Helwani. “I said going into the fight, it was probably going to take AJ a few rounds to get hold of him, and I also said as soon as he lands clean, the fight’s over. He landed a few before, but the first that he landed really clean was the final shot. He never flatlined Jake. He did break his jaw in two places, which is a disaster, but there are a lot of heavyweights that would’ve been out cold from that right hand. One of them was Francis Ngannou in a pretty similar shot, really.”
Paul’s injury (see the X-rays here) will likely keep him sidelined until mid-to-late 2026.
