Anthony Joshua duly disposed of Jake Paul in Miami on Friday night but only after a miserable six rounds of boxing at Kaseya Center.
The two-time world heavyweight champion (now 29-4 with 26 knockouts) finally prevailed by knockout after a showdown which featured very little action in front of a highly frustrated crowd.
Paul (now 12-2) spent the first four rounds on his toes trying to keep out of Joshua’s range and the end result was dreadful as the fans booed. Joshua meanwhile, coming off a 15-month hiatus from the sport, struggled badly to shake off the ring rust and find his range.
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Finally in Round 5 Jake’s exertions in running from AJ started to catch up with him and he was down on multiple occasions. Then in the sixth the end finally came as a big right hand landed with Jake on the ropes, and this time ‘The Problem Child’ could not beat the count.
But this was a night where nobody really won – at least not in boxing terms. It was a huge payday for both men but neither did their reputations any great service. It was the most miserable of nights for the sport.
Joshua vs Jake round-by-round
This is how the fight unfolded down in Florida on Friday night:
Round 1
We are finally under way after a very long wait and it’s an awful start. AJ spends most of the session on the front foot trying to get into range as Jake is on his toes and keeping out of range. Paul does land probably the best shot of the session with a right along with a couple of double jab combinations. The crowd are already restless.
Round 2
Poor again as the round ends with boos from the crowd at Kaseya Center in Miami. The script is the same as the opening session with Joshua trying to close the gap and get to Jake. Even when he does he seems reluctant to really unload. A big swing and a miss with a right hand from AJ, but as yet no meaningful shots landed by the British superstar.
Round 3
This is awful stuff – pretty much no action going on inside the ropes. AJ still trying to get close enough to Jake to land something. Paul meanwhile is content to grab and clinch the moment his opponent appears on top. Very little landed, Jake has hardly thrown a meaningful shot since the first round. Joshua swinging and misses with that normally devastating right hand. So far, not a good matchup for a heavyweight star who needs to look good here.
Round 4
We are halfway through the eight rounds and even the Netflix announcers (who you would imagine would heavily favour Jake) are hating this – ‘the fans did not pay to see this crap’. Paul is down three times in the round but each time it’s either a slip or by AJ pushing him over. Twice referee Christopher Young gives Jake a timeout to recover. It’s genuinely awful stuff and the crowd in Kaseya Center are not impressed. This always seemed like a terrible idea, and so it is proving.
Round 5
Jake is down twice more in the fifth but these are genuine knockdowns. The first from a body shot and then the second from a right hand. Paul is exhausted but both times he beats the count. Joshua still looks out of sorts but Paul is literally just trying to survive here. He looks totally gassed after running for most of the five rounds so far.
Round 6
Finally, mercifully it’s over as Joshua wins by knockout in Round 6. The end arrives with a big right from Joshua and this time Paul cannot beat the count from Christopher Young. All in all, a dreadful fight which AJ wins to improve to 29-4. But it proved absolutely nothing for anybody. Both men will pocket huge paychecks but this did very little for the sport of boxing. Maybe next year Joshua will move on to Tyson Fury, and we get a proper fight. One can only hope.
