Anthony Joshua inflicted a knockout on Jake Paul after enduring frustrating early rounds against the YouTube star in Miami.
Britain's two-time world heavyweight champion struggled to pin down Paul in the early rounds but finally ended the fight with a huge right hand in the sixth round - one that left his opponent with a broken jaw.
Paul, who had found it hard to keep his footing throughout the fight, toppled down by the ropes and the referee waved it off as he rose unsteadily to his feet.
But Joshua admitted afterwards that it "wasn't the best performance", with the 36-year-old widely expected to stop his novice opponent much sooner in the bout, which had been scheduled to go eight rounds at the Kaseya Center.
The YouTube star had made a typically brash entrance, sporting sunglasses as he was joined by a rap artist on his ring walk, but Paul exuded nervous energy when the first bell rung, back peddling for much of the first round.
Paul did land a solitary left hand to the delight of the American crowd as Joshua pushed out probing jabs while attempting to find his range.
Joshua displayed more aggression in the second round, landing a crunching shot that drew a rueful smile from Paul, and then unloaded a swift combination as the YouTuber sought refuge on the ropes.
But Joshua, who had not fought since a knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in September 2024, was struggling to land his power punches and had to withstand a cheeky uppercut from Paul in the third.
A looping hook from Paul caught Joshua by surprise in the fourth, causing fleeting embarrassment rather than pain, but it was Paul who was left wincing after he took a low blow.
Paul's resistance unravelled in the fifth as he wilted to the canvas after a flurry of punches from Joshua and the referee issued a count.
Joshua moved in menacingly and a right hand dropped Paul more heavily, with the bell sounding as Joshua swung in spiteful punches.
But Paul was ruthlessly halted by Joshua in the next round as he toppled to the canvas following another exchange and then, when Paul clambered to his feet, Joshua delivered a fight-ending right hand.
AJ: Jake Paul came up against a real fighter
Speaking in the ring afterwards, Joshua told Netflix: "It wasn't the best performance.
"The end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down, and hurt him. That has been the request and that was on my mind. Took a bit longer than expected but the right hand found the destination.
"Jake Paul has done really well tonight, I want to give him his props. He got up, time and time again. It was difficult in there for him, but he kept on trying to find a way through.
"You have to give Jake his respect for trying, trying and trying. But he came up against a real fighter tonight that's had a 15-month lay-off."
Paul: I've broken my jaw
Paul later went to hospital, sharing a scan that showed his jaw broken in two places, but was in bullish mood immediately after the fight.
"I'm feeling good, that was fun, I love this sport," he told Netflix. "Anthony is a great fighter and I got beat but that's what this sport is about.
"I have already won in every way of life. This sport has helped me so much.
"I think my jaw is broken. It's definitely broke but man, that was good.
"I'm going to come back and get a world championship belt at some point.
"I just got tired, to be honest. He did amazing and hits really hard."
Paul did not face the media at the post-fight press conference as he sought treatment for the injury but Nikisa Bidarian, CEO of Paul's promoters Most Valuable Promotions, said: "He's fine. He drove himself to the hospital. A broken jaw's very common in sports, particularly in boxing or MMA.
"I think the recovery time from the doctors and surgeons we've already talked to is four to six weeks."
