“It’s a win, but it’s not a success.” This was Anthony Joshua‘s assessment of his fight with influencer boxer Jake Paul, which he ended with a clean, powerful right hand that sent Paul tumbling down into the canvas. Apparently, AJ was not happy with the results, especially after 6 gruesome rounds. However, former UFC champion Israel Adesanya has brought a different set of eyes to the story.

Anthony Joshua, a former heavyweight champion and Olympic-level boxer, entered the bout as the clear favorite, with fans anticipating an early KO win. On the contrary, Jake Paul dragged the fight to six defiant rounds before dropping down. That has disappointed not only the eager audience but also Joshua himself. But Adesanya begs to differ.

Israel Adesanya offers a refreshing perspective amid Jake-Joshua backlash

The Jake-Joshua fight didn’t break the internet. It brought it together to a shared opinion that AJ dragging the fight six rounds was embarrassing for the sport itself. ‘Izzy’s reaction to the fight, however, went, “Well, honest thoughts on the fight: I feel like AJ carried Jake Paul to the sixth round. I know what I see, and I understand fighting—but this is, I guess, the best result, or the most realistic result, I guess,” he shared.

While Adesanya is of the same belief that AJ held back, especially in the first few rounds, he understands the fighting psychology of it all. And AJ’s game was one of the most realistic ways the bout could have unfolded, with strategic distance management and counter-striking as his opponent wore down. That said, AJ had both the physical lead and the technical edge to put a period to the fight in the first few rounds.

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In fact, in the later rounds, as Jake Paul met the mats more frequently, Adesanya was left slack-jawed at the obvious jarring optics of the fight. “Well, second one in this round. It’s three knockdowns, and with that, I think that’s it. Seven, that’s eight, nine, ten. Well, good ending to the fight,” Adesanya exclaimed as the fight reached its climax, seemingly much too late.

AJ himself didn’t think highly of his performance, as he shared at the post-fight presser. Pulling the curtains on the skyscraping expectations of his team and himself, AJ’s resilient message rang clearly: “No, I needed to do better. I needed to do better.”

He continued, “I think my coach expects more from me, and I expect more from myself. But what can we do? I have to move forward. I have to put that in the past now. After today, you may see a bit of social media… but for me, it’s in the past. I can’t live off that win, I’ve got a lot of improvement I need to do.” However, AJ’s attitude to his opponent didn’t deviate in the slightest from respect and appreciation.

Anthony Joshua lauds Jake Paul after the brutal 6th round KO

An agonizing right hand clicked right into Paul’s jaw, snapping it into two fractures. That was, however, only the tip of the iceberg, considering the fury of massive blows the YouTuber absorbed throughout the fight. That requires heart and the spirit of a fighter, both of which Joshua has praised him for.

“I wish I could have knocked him out at the start, but as we saw, Jake has spirit. He has some heart, and I take my hat off to him,” AJ exclaimed.

Further, praising Paul’s formidable mental groove and resilience, AJ added, “No. 1, a lot of fighters haven’t got in the ring with me, and Jake did. And secondly, even when he got knocked down, he kept trying to get up.”

Steering his focus right back to his next potential opponent, AJ didn’t hesitate in calling out another boxing legend and former heavyweight world champion, Tyson Fury. Tossing digs at the boxer’s chronic X presence, Joshua shared, “If Tyson Fury is as serious as he thinks he is, and he wants to put down his Twitter fingers and put on some gloves, and come and fight one of the realest fighters out there who will take on any challenge, step in the ring with me next if you’re a real bad boy.

Promoter Eddie Hearn has been supportive of the fight that was fated to happen on many occasions, but never came into reality. Hearn shared how Joshua could take on Fury next if both fighters were ready, instead of another interim fight. Would you like to see AJ take on Tyson Fury next? Who has the edge in the anticipated showdown, with an internet-breaking KO? Share your thoughts below.