Two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has praised Jake Paul for his resilience following their clash in Miami on Friday night, despite securing a tough victory over the American.

Paul, the YouTuber-turned-boxer, started cautiously, keeping his distance and avoiding exchanges while Joshua pressed forward. The 28-year-old absorbed heavy punishment over six rounds and later revealed he had suffered a fractured jaw, yet repeatedly rose to continue the fight.

Reflecting on the bout, Joshua admitted he was not fully satisfied with his own performance but lauded his opponent’s toughness. “It wasn’t the best performance,” Joshua said. “The end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and hurt him. That took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand finally found its mark. Jake Paul did really well tonight—he got up time and time again. It takes a real man to do that.”

Paul, meanwhile, attributed his defeat to fatigue and conditioning. Knocked down four times, he struggled to handle Joshua’s size and power as the fight progressed. “My jaw is definitely broken. But man, that was good,” Paul said. “I love this, and I’ll come back for a world championship belt. I just got tired—it was so much handling his weight. With better cardio, I might have lasted longer. He did amazing and hits really hard.”