A Successful Failure

Anthony Joshua def Jake Paul (via Variety.com)

On December 20th, we witnessed one of the biggest, most controversial boxing fights of all time. Jake Paul, a former YouTuber turned boxer, stepped into the ring against one of the greatest heavyweights we have ever seen in Anthony Joshua. 

Most, if not all, people were aware of the storylines heading into the fight. Paul, who had been ridiculed by the media for years for never having fought professional boxers his own age & size, finally silenced critics when he signed on the dotted line to fight Joshua.

Fans wondered, was the fight rigged? Were there any clauses in the contract forcing Joshua to go easy?

However, what we saw on Saturday night proved that this was just a fight, nothing more. The majority of fans expected Joshua to finish Paul within a round. With a lifetime of boxing experience, a forty-pound weight advantage, and five five-inch height advantage, there simply wasn’t a thought in anyone’s mind that Paul would defeat the giant.

So, when the first round ended, then the second, then the third, and Paul was still standing, fans began to get antsy. The fight itself wasn’t competitive, but the fact that Paul was still conscious was a moral loss for Joshua and the traditional boxing community, who had slandered Paul for making a mockery of the sport.

However, in the fifth round, the inevitable began. Joshua stalked Paul, keeping him on the back foot the entire fight, and he began to unload.

Anytime Joshua touched Paul, you could see the pain on his face. Paul landed a few overhand rights, but once Joshua realized he could take the punches and keep walking forward, it was the beginning of the end.

In the sixth round, Joshua got Paul against the corner of the ring and unloaded a brutal right hand to knock Paul down, and he wouldn’t get back up. 

After the fight, medical examinations confirmed that Joshua had broken Paul’s jaw in two places. 

It may have taken a little longer than fans would’ve liked, but the result was the same. Joshua reminded Paul, and influencer boxing, that there are truly levels to the sport.

However, Paul has now earned the respect of the boxing world for taking on one of the most dangerous heavyweights ever, and he now has several options.

Paul could return to the influencer scene, where several intriguing matchups await. Or he could return to his natural cruiserweight division and fight athletes of similar stature.

For Joshua, a superfight versus Tyson Fury is in all likelihood next. This has been a matchup fans have clamoured for for nearly a decade, and it would be a massive event for British boxing.

Whatever both athletes decide to do next, they can keep their chins up knowing they put on one of the largest spectacles in boxing history.