Former world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis believes Jake Paul was not physically ready for the demands of a heavyweight contest against Anthony Joshua, after the Briton secured a sixth round stoppage.

It was reports that Paul, who had never previously been knocked down in his professional career, failed to beat the count as Joshua’s pressure finally told.

Speaking on Netflix, Lewis said: “Paul wasn’t in good shape, especially for a big heavyweight like that,” Lewis said. “After a couple rounds it showed, he was basically sitting there waiting to get hit.”

Lewis, a three time world champion, also suggested Joshua’s lengthy spell out of the ring played a role in the fight taking time to come alive. The contest marked Joshua’s first appearance since his defeat to Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September 2024.

“When Anthony said he’d been out for 15 months, it showed,” Lewis added. “He needed a couple of rounds to warm up and get used to the ring again before he threw those punches. He did what he had to do. He had a guy in front of him running around the ring and he had to catch up with him.”

Former super middleweight champion Andre Ward took a more measured view of Paul’s performance, particularly in the early stages.

“When Paul got tired he panicked,” Ward said. “That’s a sign of fatigue. He helped Joshua out a little bit because he was having decent success early on. You have to give Joshua that little bit of grace too, Jake Paul was good enough to make things interesting for a little while.”

On the other hand, British retired boxer, Chris Eubank Jr was among those who offered praise for the American’s resolve. “Regardless of the outcome Jake Paul got into the ring with an Olympic gold medallist and former heavyweight world champion and tried his best until the very end,” Eubank wrote on 𝕏. “You have to give him his respect now. He’s done what most would never do and he didn’t give up.”

Former world heavyweight champion David Haye also felt Paul had earned credit, while pointing to Joshua’s early frustration. “Joshua is trying a little too hard. It’s not about winning, it’s about how he wins,” Haye said during the opening rounds. He later added: “Jake Paul was competitive in there. It was frustrating for Anthony Joshua in the early rounds.”

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Jake Paul was rushed to the hospital after suffering a suspected fractured jaw following his six-round defeat to former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in Miami.

The bout, which attracted global attention, saw the 28-year-old YouTuber-turned-professional boxer show grit and determination but struggle against Joshua’s superior size, power and experience.

Paul held his own in the early rounds, displaying resilience and courage against the vastly bigger Joshua.

However, as the fight wore on, the former heavyweight champion’s punching strength and physical dominance began to tell.

Despite lasting six rounds, Paul was eventually overpowered, with concerns about a serious facial injury emerging immediately after the contest.

Speaking after the fight, Paul admitted fears that his jaw might have been broken.

Those concerns were later confirmed by his promoter, Nakisa Bidarian, who said the boxer required medical evaluation and could be sidelined for between four and six weeks.

Despite the painful setback, Paul struck an upbeat tone in his post-fight comments, insisting he remained passionate about boxing.

“I feel good. It was fun, and I genuinely love this sport,” Paul said.

The American later shared graphic images and videos on social media, highlighting the physical toll the bout took on him.

Paul, a former cruiserweight contender, insisted the loss would not derail his ambitions.

He revealed plans to take a short rest before returning to the ring, with his long-term focus still firmly on challenging for a cruiserweight world title.

“We’ll heal the jaw, come back stronger and fight opponents in my weight class. Anthony Joshua is a great champion. I lost, but that’s part of boxing. I’ll return and keep pushing forward,” he said.

Reflecting on the fight, Paul admitted that managing Joshua’s size and weight drained him as the contest progressed.

“I got tired trying to manage his size and weight. With better conditioning, I think I could have lasted longer. I gave it everything I had,” he added.

The defeat marks another tough learning curve for Paul, who insists he remains committed to proving himself at the elite level of professional boxing.

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Two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has paid tribute to Jake Paul after their encounter in Miami on Friday night, applauding the American’s resilience despite handing him a painful defeat.

Jake Paul, the YouTuber-turned-boxer, adopted a cautious approach early on, keeping his distance and avoiding prolonged exchanges as Joshua stalked forward. For long spells, the 28-year-old appeared intent on survival, refusing to trade until the Briton eventually cut off the ring and began to land with authority.

Once Joshua found his range, the damage followed. Paul absorbed sustained punishment over six rounds and later revealed he had suffered a fractured jaw, yet he repeatedly hauled himself back to his feet as the fight wore on.

Speaking after the contest, Joshua admitted he was not entirely satisfied with his own display but was quick to acknowledge his opponent’s courage.

“It wasn’t the best performance,” Joshua said after the fight, via Metro UK.

“The end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and hurt him. That has been the request leading up. That was on my mind.

“It took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand finally found the destination. Jake Paul, he’s done really well tonight. I want to give him his props. He got up time and time again. It takes a real man to do that.”

Paul, meanwhile, offered his own explanation for the defeat, pointing to fatigue and conditioning as decisive factors against the former world champion.

The American was knocked down four times during the bout and struggled to cope with Joshua’s size and power as the rounds progressed.

“My [jaw] is definitely broken. But man, that was good,” Paul said in his post-fight interview, also via Metro UK.

“I love this, so I will come back and get a world championship belt at some point and I’m not surprised [I lasted long against Joshua]. I just got tired.

“It was just so much handling his weight. If I had better cardio, I could’ve maybe kept on fighting. But he did amazing, and hits really hard.”

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