The social media star-turned-boxer confirmed Saturday that he underwent surgery to repair a broken jaw suffered in his sixth round stoppage loss to Anthony Joshua.
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 KOs) 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.
Paul shared the update directly with followers, posting from his recovery and striking a noticeably subdued tone. Paul shared X-ray images showing two fractures in his jaw, injuries caused during a bout that escalated quickly as Joshua’s size and experience took control. Paul was spitting blood in the aftermath of the fight and did not attend the post fight news conference.
Inside the ring, the ending came fast. Joshua dropped Paul twice in the fifth round and twice more in the sixth before the referee halted the eight round contest. The defeat marked one of the most punishing nights of Paul’s short but highly scrutinized boxing career.
