Anthony Joshua knocks out Jake Paul to win heavyweight fight
MIAMI — Anthony Joshua knocked out Jake Paul in the sixth round of their heavyweight fight Friday night.
The two-time heavyweight champion displayed why he is one of the sport’s elite punchers when he dropped the fading Paul twice in the fifth round.
Sensing the YouTuber was finished, Joshua rocked him with a right uppercut early in the sixth. The native of England then floored Paul with a combination to the head.
Although Paul (12-2) reached his feet again, Joshua (29-4, 26 knockouts) finally crushed Paul’s upset dream when he dropped him a fourth time with a right to the head. Referee Christopher Young counted Paul out at 1:31 of the round in front of a capacity crowd of 19,600 at the Kaseya Center.
Anthony Joshua punches Jake Paul during their heavyweight boxing match Friday.
(Lynne Sladky / Associated Press)
With the victory, Joshua now can angle to reclaim the heavyweight title he lost against Oleksandr Usyk. Joshua also has talked about a long-discussed match with countryman and former champion Tyson Fury. However, Fury is retired following consecutive losses to Usyk last year.
It was Joshua’s first bout since Daniel Dubois knocked him out in five rounds in September 2024.
Joshua methodically established pace against Paul from the opening round as neither fighter engaged early. Midway through the round, Paul threw an overhand right that Joshua blocked with his glove. In the closing seconds Joshua scored with a right to the head near the ropes.
In the second, Joshua began utilizing his six-inch reach advantage by leading with a left jab.
Jake Paul falls on the canvas after being hit by Anthony Joshua during their heavyweight fight Friday.
(Lynne Sladky / Associated Press)
Paul scored with a short right to the head early in the fourth. Later in the round Paul twice fell to the canvas awkwardly as he again attempted to cut distance during close exchanges
Paul weighed 216 pounds and Joshua weighed 243 for the bout.
The 28-year-old Paul, who began his career in January 2020, originally targeted an exhibition in Miami with lightweight champion Gervonta Davis last month. But Davis encountered legal problems that scrapped the event. Paul quickly pivoted and landed the bout against Joshua in the same venue.
Celebrities in the crowd included golf champion Rory McIlroy, New York Mets slugger Juan Soto, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy and retired NFL receivers Michael Irvin and Brandon Marshall.
In an undercard bout between retired UFC champions, 50-year-old Anderson Silva scored a second-round technical knockout of Tyron Woodley.