British heavyweight boxer of Nigerian descent, Anthony Joshua, delivered a dominant sixth-round knockout against Jake Paul in their heavyweight clash at the Kaseya Center in Miami in the early hours of Saturday.
The 36-year-old former two-time world champion secured the 29th victory of his professional career, improving his record to 29 wins from 33 fights, as he overpowered the YouTuber-turned-boxer in what was largely a one-sided contest.
Scheduled for eight rounds, the bout was widely seen as a tune-up fight for Joshua and a high-profile commercial outing against Paul. From the opening bell, the difference in experience was evident, with Paul opting to move constantly around the ring and clinching whenever Joshua closed the distance. Despite managing to land a few punches, the 28-year-old struggled to cope with Joshua’s pressure and power.
Joshua began asserting control in the second round, using his jab and attacking the body as he methodically stalked Paul around the ring. The pressure intensified as the fight progressed, peaking in the fifth round when Joshua sent Paul to the canvas twice.
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A crushing body shot accounted for the first knockdown, before a follow-up barrage forced Paul down again as Joshua pushed to end the contest against a visibly fatigued opponent.
The finish came in the sixth round. Joshua dropped Paul multiple times before landing a decisive clean punch that left the referee with no option but to halt the fight after Paul failed to rise before the count.
The win marked Joshua’s first victory on American soil since his shock defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr. and further boosted his knockout tally to 26 stoppages from 29 wins. Over the six rounds, Joshua landed 48 punches compared to Paul’s 16.
Reacting after the fight, Joshua described the bout as a way to sharpen himself ahead of bigger challenges and issued a direct message to fellow British heavyweight Tyson Fury.
“We shook off the cobwebs,” he said. “I can’t wait for 2026.
“If Tyson Fury is as serious as he says he is, and he wants to put down his Twitter fingers and put on some gloves, and come and fight one of the realest fighters out there, step into there with me next if you’re a really bad boy.”