In a surreal collision of sporting worlds, Britain's Anthony Joshua emphatically stopped YouTube star-turned-boxer Jake Paul in the sixth round of their heavily hyped heavyweight fight in Miami. The event, which took place on Friday night at the Kaseya Center, saw boxing's established order reassert itself against the sport's new, attention-driven era.
The Spectacle and The Undercard
The evening was promoted by Most Valuable Promotions, the company founded by Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, and nearly sold out the 20,000-seat arena. Ticket prices, which fell as low as $31, helped attract a diverse crowd that observers noted felt less like a traditional boxing audience and more like a "content farm," with phones constantly raised to capture the moment.
The card itself was stacked, featuring four women's world title fights. Yokasta Valle defended her WBC strawweight title against Yadira Bustillos, while Britain's Caroline Dubois scored a sixth-round knockdown against Camila Panatta. Australia's Cherneka Johnson retained her undisputed bantamweight crown, and Alycia Baumgardner defended her junior lightweight title in a rare 12-round contest under men's rules.
A Night of Contrasting Realities
The atmosphere highlighted the event's unique place in modern culture. Alongside passionate British fans who travelled for Joshua, the audience was peppered with internet celebrities like streamer Jack Doherty and even Brodie the Goldendoodle, an Instagram-famous dog. Celebrity jeweller Johnny Dang, known for crafting pieces for Drake and Beyoncé, watched from ringside.
Paul, who has argued that "YouTubers are the new modern-day A-list celebrities," embraced the theatricality. His ringwalk featured the controversial rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine, a calculated provocation that contrasted sharply with Joshua's more conventional entrance to Freeway's "What We Do." The physical chasm between the elite heavyweight and the influencer was evident from the opening bell.
The Fight and The Knockout
The bout followed a predictable pattern of a world-class athlete against a game but outmatched novice. Paul hit the canvas multiple times before a controversial moment in the fourth round, where he claimed a low blow, leading to a prolonged stoppage that granted him valuable recovery time.
Any hope of an upset was extinguished in the sixth. Joshua, fighting in the US for only the second time since his 2019 loss to Andy Ruiz Jr, sent Paul to the floor for a fourth and final time, prompting the referee to wave off the contest. The knockout sparked roars from the crowd and felt, to many, like a restoration of boxing's natural order.
While purists have criticised the spectacle of Paul's fights, they undeniably draw younger audiences to the sport. Yet on this night in Miami, the oldest reality of boxing—that supreme skill eventually triumphs—was delivered decisively by Anthony Joshua.
