Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua: What the Punch Stats Say About the Real Winner

Anthony Joshua stopped Jake Paul in Miami, but if you scrolled X afterwards, you saw the mood: a win on paper, not exactly a statement. It played like a Netflix spectacle more than a boxing clinic, complete with a messy stream for some viewers and a whole lot of clinching inside the ring.

What actually happened in the ring

At the Kaseya Center on December 20, 2025, the early rounds were flat. Joshua looked irritated and oddly wasteful, chasing a clean shot that kept slipping away. Paul, meanwhile, was mostly in survival mode. He grabbed, he moved, he made it ugly. He did land a couple shots, and more than a few fans argued his showing topped what Francis Ngannou managed against Joshua last year.

The tone shifted in Round 5. Joshua finally found timing and space, and Paul hit the deck twice in that frame. That mattered because pre-fight chatter (Boxing Insider among them) said Paul wouldn’t make it past five. He did. Round 6 came, Paul went down again, got up, and then a fourth knockdown ended it. Official result: Joshua KO6.

Fight snapshot

• Venue: Kaseya Center, Miami
• Result: Anthony Joshua def. Jake Paul by KO in Round 6 after four total knockdowns (two in Round 5, two in Round 6)
• Early rounds: Joshua frustrated and missing; Paul focused on surviving and clinching
• Punch stats: Paul landed 16 of 56 (29%); Joshua landed 48 of 146 (33%)
• Narrative split: Some outlets framed it as total domination; plenty of fans rolled their eyes at Paul’s evasive, grabby game and the fact it took Joshua six rounds

Joshua owned the win, but not the performance

Joshua didn’t sugarcoat it afterward. He admitted he took too long to get going, said he wanted the emphatic finish earlier, and still gave Paul credit for hanging in.

"It wasn’t the best performance. I wanted to pin him down and hurt him. It took me longer than I expected. Jake Paul did really well and he deserves his props. It takes a real man to do that and he deserves respect for trying and trying and trying. But he came up against a real fighter tonight.

And if Tyson Fury is serious, and if he wants to shake off his Twitter fingers and pick up some gloves, he should fight me."

Translation: not thrilled with the aesthetics, very happy with the KO, and ready to call out Tyson Fury next.

Paul’s side: had fun, maybe a broken jaw

In his in-ring chat with Ariel Helwani, Paul said the whole thing was fun, he loves the sport, and he shouted out Joshua as a great fighter. He also said he thinks his jaw might be broken, which would explain why those late rounds looked rough. He added he’s finally taking a break after six straight years of training. Logan Paul was in his corner all night, pumping him up between rounds.

Fans and the Netflix factor

The immediate reaction was exactly the mix you’d expect from a crossover event. Memes about Paul hugging every time Joshua got close, posts questioning why it even reached a sixth round, and a lot of people calling the clinch-heavy approach a mockery of boxing. Claressa Shields chimed in to salute Joshua and marvel that Paul lasted six. On the tech side, a chunk of viewers grumbled that Netflix crashed mid-fight or served up lag and audio-sync issues. Not ideal when the whole pitch is: big-time boxing, easy stream.

How we got here

This matchup only happened after Paul’s planned November 14 fight with Gervonta Davis fell apart. Davis was hit with a wave of accusations from his ex-girlfriend, the bout went off the rails, and Paul pivoted to Joshua. Weird detour, massive step up, and here we are.

So… was it a good win?

Depends what you wanted. Joshua got the finish and never looked in real danger, but the first half of the fight was awkward and ugly. Paul survived longer than many expected, took a beating late, and still heard the sixth-round bell. If you were grading style points, this wasn’t a masterpiece. If you just wanted a definitive ending, you got one.

The recap is set to stream on Netflix soon. Curious where you land on this one: solid KO win, or kind of hollow because of how it looked getting there?