Jake Paul's price for stepping into the ring with a former world heavyweight champion may be a broken jaw after Anthony Joshua stopped him in round six.
Paul lasted longer than many expected, largely because of his evasion tactics in a ring which had been increased in size.
Joshua spent four rounds frustrated at his opponent's refusal to engage, but had Paul down twice in the fifth before bringing to an end a farcical mismatch in round six.
Paul was caught with a clean right hand never looked like beating the count having spent almost the entire contest looking to avoid rather than engage with his opponent, a sensible self-preservation tactic which nonetheless drew boos from the crowd.
"It wasn’t the best performance," Joshua admitted.
"The end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and hurt him. That’s what 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. He got up time and time again. It takes a real man to do that. Anyone who laces up these gloves deserves respect.
"We have to give Jake his respect for trying and trying and trying."
Paul said: "That was fun. 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.
"I’ve already won in every single way in life. I think my jaw is broken, by the way. A nice little ass-whipping from one of the best to ever do it. I love this shit and I’m going to come back."
Paul's promotions company later confirmed that he had taken himself to hospital with a suspected broken jaw.
Most Valuable Promotions boss Nakisa Bidarian said: "We think he broke his jaw, but he's fine. He took a shower, he drove himself to hospital.
"A broken jaw is very common in sports, particularly in boxing or MMA. The recovery time is four to six weeks."
What next for Anthony Joshua?
Joshua was returning to the ring for the first time since suffering a shock defeat to Daniel Dubois but, buoyed by a new a coaching team, appears ready to return to competitive boxing in 2026.
A British superfight with longtime rival Tyson Fury could finally be on the cards and Joshua called out his man afterwards.
"I can't wait for 2026," he said. "If Tyson Fury is as serious as he says 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, step into there with me next if you're a really bad boy."
Promoter Eddie Hearn added: "We want the Tyson Fury fight. That's the biggest fight in boxing.
"Respect to Jake Paul, he did a great job. 2026, back to the real business. Tyson Fury and the world heavyweight championship."
What next for Jake Paul?
As for Paul, his bravado was perhaps the only thing still working at full capacity after an exhausting six rounds.
"We will heal the broken jaw, come back and fight people my weight," he said, before adding: "I'm going for the cruiserweight world title.
"I'm going to take a little break. I've been going hard for six years. I'll take some time off. This is amazing."