The former unified heavyweight champion showed why he was the heavy favorite with a brutal finish late in the bout.

Jake Paul is knocked down against Anthony Joshua in their heavyweight bout Jake Paul v Anthony Joshua at Kaseya Center on Friday in Miami, Fla.Ed Mulholland / Getty Images for Netflix

Anthony Joshua knocked out Jake Paul in the sixth round of their boxing fight on Friday night at Kaseya Center in Miami.

The former unified world heavyweight champion showed patience early, waiting for his opportunities much to the dismay of the crowd, but stepped up his aggressiveness as the bout went on. After a fifth round that saw two knockdowns of Paul, Joshua finished him one round later with a brutal straight right.

It was the first knockout loss in Paul`s career.

THE REF HAS SEEN ENOUGH!!!

ANTHONY JOSHUA GETS THE KO AGAINST JAKE PAUL IN ROUND 6! #JakeJoshua pic.twitter.com/m5Y2VJ8to3

— Netflix Sports (@netflixsports) December 20, 2025

"It wasn`t the best performance," Joshua told Netflix`s Ariel Helwani in the ring. "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."

Joshua, 36, entered the Netflix bout as a heavy betting favorite based on his experience and skill set. The Brit (29-4 with 26 KOs) is considered one of the best boxers of his generation with an Olympic gold medal and wins over the likes of Wladimir Klitschko, Andy Ruiz Jr., Dillian Whyte and Alexander Povetkin.

Joshua rebounded from a loss last year to fellow British heavyweight Daniel Dubois. He is expected to face another, Tyson Fury, in 2026 according to multiple reports.

"I shook off the cobwebs tonight," Joshua said. "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. Let`s see how serious he is."

Paul, a social media star-turned boxer, suffered his first defeat since dropping a split decision to Tommy Fury in February 2023. He previously won six straight, including including victories against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Mike Tyson.

Though Paul has quieted early critics with impressive boxing skill over a short period of time - he only became a professional in 2020 - Joshua was a major step up in competition. Most of Paul`s opponents to date have been former MMA fighters or aging boxers like Tyson, who came out of retirement to fight Paul when he was 58 years old.

"Anthony is a great fighter," Paul said postfight to Helwani. "I got my ass beat but that`s what this sport is all about. This sport has helped me so much - I think my jaw is broken, by the way."