Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has defeated Jake Paul, after knocking out the internet personality-turned boxer in the sixth round of their heavily hyped fight in Miami.<\/p>\n
The result was widely expected, with Paul a massive underdog going in.<\/p>\n
Joshua finished the mostly one-sided contest in the sixth round, blasting Paul with a right cross in the corner of the ring.<\/p>\n
However, Paul certainly didn’t disgrace himself, landing a bit of offence on Joshua, despite conceding a significant height advantage. <\/p>\n
He had to endure four counts from the referee, admirably rising, after suffering a brutal body shot in the fifth round.<\/p>\n
Paul couldn’t do much, but lie back and accept defeat, after the killer blow though. <\/p>\n
While it was something many people have waited to see for a while, after the outspoken Cleveland native took up boxing, it’s fair to say his detractors may have newfound respect for his resilience after lasting that long against a former champ.<\/p>\n
Joshua will now turn his attention to a fight next year that will potentially put him back in the mix for Oleksandr Usyk’s heavyweight titles. <\/p>\n
The 36-year-old had not fought since his heavy loss to Daniel Dubois last September, so this at least is a useful step back into the ring in preparation for whatever comes next.<\/p>\n
A potential scenario will see Joshua finally face Tyson Fury in an event that would draw a massive crowd to Wembley Stadium, but that relies on Fury coming out of retirement for a third time.<\/p>\n
Another possibility is a rematch with Kiwi-Samoan Joseph Parker, with both men in similar standing in the heavyweight division.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Paul can be commended for his commitment to challenging boxing’s long-derided economic system and significant positioning of female fighters on his fight cards.<\/p>\n
In an entertaining and – more importantly – completely legitimate co-main event, super-featherweight champion Alycia Baumgardner handily defeated Leila Beaudoin, continuing a run of women’s title fights that have leveraged off Paul’s pulling power.<\/p>\n
Also on the undercard, 50-year-old Anderson Silva knocked out fellow former UFC fighter Tyron Woodley in the second round of their fight.<\/p>\n