Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua knocked out YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in the sixth round of their heavyweight contest in Miami on Friday night.

Anthony Joshua showed why he remains one of boxing’s most feared punchers, dropping a tiring Paul twice in the fifth round as the bout swung decisively in his favour.

Friday’s bout marked Anthony Joshua’s first appearance since his fifth-round knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in September 2024.

“It wasn’t the best performance,” Anthony Joshua said. “But the end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and hurt him.

“That was the request leading up, and that was on my mind. It took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand finally found its destination.”

Joshua also praised Paul’s resilience.

“I want to give him his props; he got up time and time again,” he said. “It was difficult in there for him, but he kept trying to find a way. It takes a real man to do that.”

Paul, bloodied from the final exchange, suggested he may have suffered a broken jaw but expressed satisfaction with his effort.

“That was fun. I gave it my all,” Paul said.

“I had a blast. I think my jaw is broken, by the way. But Anthony’s one of the best to ever do it. I’m going to come back and get a world championship.

“I just got tired, to be honest. Handling his weight was tough. With better cardio, I think I could have kept on fighting, but he hits really hard.”

The victory reopens potential pathways for Anthony Joshua to reclaim a world heavyweight title following his losses to Oleksandr Usyk. (BusinessDay, excluding headline)