Joshua stops Jake Paul in sixth; questions linger over scripting of spectacle

Anthony Joshua stopped Jake Paul with a knockout in the sixth round Friday night at the Kaseya Center in Miami, a result that closed a bout many observers say was more show than sport. The fight, staged under Netflix’s banner with a purse reported near $140 million, revived questions about whether the spectacle outweighed the fundamentals of boxing. Ringside, Jeff Powell of the Daily Mail wrote that Joshua did what he needed to do, but the finish arrived later than critics expected and the night did little to validate the matchup for purists. Some observers suggested mysteries behind the scenes may never be fully revealed, and doubts about motive lingered even as the arena roared.

The event played out before a near-capacity crowd in a 20,000-seat Miami venue, with walk-up tickets helping fill seats as Netflix promoted the fight to a global audience. The spectacle was framed as a potential springboard to a Fury showdown backed by Saudi money, a match that promoters have signaled they would pursue if terms and financing align. The fight’s production emphasized entertainment as much as sport, with eye-catching entrances and a build that stressed the clash of celebrity and heavyweight pedigree. The size of the purse and the reach of the Netflix platform underscored the business-side pull driving this pairing.

In the ring, Joshua’s path to victory unfolded more slowly than many predicted. In round one, he was cautious as Paul moved and landed quick sorties, sometimes slipping inside to tie up or graze Joshua with off-balance attempts. Paul’s movement and footwork drew whistles and applause, and he even jostled with Joshua’s legs on occasions. Joshua answered in round two with more assertiveness, yet he did not land the decisive right hand that had been forecast. Paul continued to mix dancing with grappling, and the exchanges remained erratic, with the referee warning Paul after two awkward falls as he recovered.

As the rounds advanced, Joshua pressed consistently but often wrestled Paul to the canvas instead of dropping him with clean right hands. The fight remained contentious and not the surgical performance some expected, a point that fueled the ongoing debate about whether the bout’s design favored spectacle over technical boxing. Then, in the sixth, Joshua finally uncorked a clean, fight-ending right hand that floored Paul. The referee halted the bout, and Joshua was declared the winner by knockout while Paul rose, bruised and resolute, with his team signaling the end of the night as a victory for the Netflix era of boxing.

Paul, who fought on to within two rounds of the scheduled finish with a broken jaw according to some accounts, spoke to Netflix after the event, saying he had “a blast” and indicating he would seek future opponents from unconventional corners. Joshua, reflecting on the victory, said that if Tyson Fury meant it about a fight, he was ready, signaling that talks of a high-profile British showdown would resume amid potential Saudi-backed backing for big-money clashes. The fight’s larger narrative — a crossover bout framed as entertainment with a high-stakes business component — continued to divide opinion among boxing observers.

Analysts noted the broader implications of a Netflix-backed, Saudi-financed event in a sport that has long prized tradition. While the two men had entertained millions, the bout’s value as a competitive boxing match remains debated, and the extent to which it reshapes the sport’s future remains uncertain. What is clear is that the night underscored how modern boxing increasingly blends marketing power, global streaming reach, and high-stakes finance with the on-ring action, a dynamic that is likely to define the sport’s direction in the years ahead.