Former heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua has apologised to Jake Paul’s mother after knocking out the YouTuber-turned-boxer in their bout in Miami.
Joshua stopped Paul in the sixth round on Friday night after a sustained attack that forced the referee to end the contest. The fight, which attracted huge global attention, saw Joshua work harder than many expected before sealing the knockout.
Paul later underwent surgery after suffering a broken jaw in two places.
Speaking on the Impaulsive podcast, Paul’s mother, Pam Stepnick, said Joshua personally came to apologise to her after the fight.
“Even Anthony Joshua had some class and apologised to me, essentially,” she said.
“He worked his way through the crowd and came up to me and said, ‘Mom, just know it’s just boxing. It’s just the fight game.’”
However, Stepnick criticised Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, accusing him of showing little sympathy during the aftermath of the bout.
“As a mom, my aggression comes out too,” she said.
“I wanted to get in that ring and punch Eddie Hearn, for instance, because I don’t like his smug face. Jake’s over there struggling and he’s sitting over there smiling like the cat who swallowed the canary.”
She added that her son accepted responsibility for stepping into the ring with a much bigger opponent.
“Jake chose to get into the ring with a humongous guy, that’s on Jake,” Stepnick said.
“I believe that Jake really thought he could knock him out, so it made me feel very confident. God was in his corner because this could have turned out even worse.”
Paul, who remained defiant despite the injury, played down the setback and insisted he enjoyed the fight.
“Double broken jaw. Give me Canelo in 10 days. I’m feeling good,” Paul said.
“I love this sport. I gave it my all. I had a blast. Anthony’s a great fighter. I got my ass beat, but that’s what this sport’s about.”
He added, “A nice ass whooping from one of the best to ever do it. We’re going to heal the broken jaw, fight someone my weight and go for the cruiserweight world title.”
Joshua, who is reportedly close to finalising a mega-fight with Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia in 2026, said he stayed patient before finishing the contest.
“I said I’m going to take his soul. I said I’m going to see it leaving his body round after round,” Joshua said.
“I took my time and got the job done within the time limit. At the end of the day, there’s going to be one winner and it was me tonight.”
The victory further boosts Joshua’s profile as he prepares for what could be the biggest fight of his career against fellow Briton Fury.
