Anthony Joshua delivered a thunderous statement in the ring and on the microphone as he stopped social media star-turned-boxer Jake Paul inside eight rounds, before turning his attention squarely back to longtime rival Tyson Fury in a fiery post-fight challenge that has reignited heavyweight boxing’s most anticipated showdown.
In the build-up to the bout, Joshua had dismissed Fury’s absence from the ring, questioning the former world champion’s commitment to fighting. “He can sit around doing Instagram videos, but he’s not the one getting in the ring. Jake is,” Joshua said days before the contest. “Why am I sitting around waiting for a guy that likes to do more Instagram videos than fight? I’m looking for real fighters. Tyson’s not a real fighter in my eyes.”
Joshua backed up his words with a decisive performance, overcoming a 15-month layoff to dominate Paul before finally ending the fight with a crushing right hand. While acknowledging that the bout did not unfold exactly as planned, the former unified heavyweight champion said the objective was always clear.
“It wasn’t the best performance. The end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down, and hurt him. It took longer than expected, but the right hand finally found the destination,” Joshua said after the fight. He also credited his opponent’s toughness, adding, “Jake Paul has done really well tonight. He got up time and time again. But he came up against a real fighter.”
The victory appears to mark a turning point for Joshua as he looks ahead to a busy 2026. “We shook off the cobwebs and can’t wait to roll into 2026,” he said, before launching into a direct and provocative message for Fury. “If Tyson Fury wants to put down his Twitter fingers and come and fight one of the realest fighters out there, step in the ring with me next if you’re a real bad boy. Don’t do all of the talking — ‘AJ this’, ‘AJ that’. Let’s see you in the ring and talk with your fist.”
Joshua also revealed the mindset that drove his aggressive approach in the fight, insisting he was determined to impose himself physically and mentally. “I said I need to give this guy a system breakdown. I said I’m going to take his soul. I said I’m going to see it leaving his body round after round. I got the job done within the time limit of eight rounds,” he said, downplaying any concern about how the bout might shape his long-term standing in the sport. “I don’t care about legacy. All the legacy is there to do is last for 50 years, and once it’s done, it’s done.”
For Paul, the defeat was a sobering reminder of the gap between elite heavyweight boxing and his rapid rise through the sport. Speaking candidly after the stoppage, he admitted the punishment he endured. “I got my ass beat, but that’s what this sport is all about,” Paul said. “I think my jaw is broken.”
