Anthony Joshua overcame a bizarre, wrestling-heavy start to knock out Jake Paul in the sixth round of their heavily criticised heavyweight clash at the Kaseya Center on Friday night, delivering a brutal finish but leaving fans divided over the legitimacy of the spectacle.

The former two-time world champion dropped Paul four times—twice in the fifth round and twice in the sixth—before the referee waved off the contest as the YouTuber-turned-boxer rose unsteadily. Joshua’s right hand finally landed cleanly after Paul spent much of the early rounds clinching, attempting takedowns, and showboating, antics that drew boos from the crowd.

Paul, smiling after the fight despite a suspected broken jaw, claimed pride in surviving six rounds against one of boxing’s elite. “I took his best shots,” he said. Joshua, meanwhile, praised Paul’s resilience but quickly turned his attention to the future, calling out Tyson Fury: “Step in with me if you’re serious.”

The Netflix-streamed event, billed at £140 million purses, drew widespread mockery for Paul’s antics until Joshua finally unloaded. Critics branded the fight “embarrassing for boxing” while supporters praised Paul’s durability. Joshua admitted: “Not my best performance… shook off cobwebs.” Paul vowed to return, declaring: “I’ll be back stronger.”