Anthony Joshua walked away with a sixth round stoppage over Jake Paul in Miami, yet the result did not impress everyone watching. Chael Sonnen was among those who expected a far quicker ending given Joshua’s credentials and experience at the highest level of boxing.
Joshua, a former two time unified heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist, eventually landed the decisive blows at Kaseya Center. For Sonnen, however, the length of the fight overshadowed the final result.
“It breaks my heart that Anthony Joshua can’t get him out in one round,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “… It is very hard for people to digest that Anthony Joshua can’t cut him off, he can’t find him, he can’t do anything with that reach, he can’t go out there and rush him, he can’t throw this kid in a corner and beat him up. That is disappointing to me. That is baffling to me.”
Sonnen Compares Boxing to His MMA Experience
Sonnen framed his frustration through his own background in combat sports. He pointed out that chasing down an opponent who is avoiding exchanges should not be an obstacle for someone with Joshua’s physical tools.
“As an MMA guy, I will share to you that that would be no problem at all – at all – if a guy is running from me, absolutely no problem,” Sonnen said. “You can out the boundaries at the city line, state line. I will track him down, I will put him somewhere, and I will beat the dog out of him.”
No Belief in a Scripted Outcome
Some fans floated the idea that the contest was extended to benefit broadcast interests. Sonnen dismissed that interpretation, insisting the exchanges were real and unscripted.
“I think that they were betting the idea, or the noise around cooperation was going to prevail,” Sonnen said. “I share that with you because the fight was just that. They were fighting. For anyone to think that they saw something different, it’s confusing to me. It makes me happy for that person because I know they’ve never been attacked, they’ve never been in a squabble.”
Praise for Paul, Criticism for Joshua
While Joshua collected the official win, Sonnen felt Jake Paul exceeded reasonable expectations by staying competitive deep into the fight. That endurance, in Sonnen’s view, shifted how the outcome should be emotionally interpreted.
“Joshua should not have celebrated when that was over,” Sonnen said. “He should not have had that feeling of relief that he did. He did not deserve that. This was a gimme in every possible way.”
Joshua adds another knockout to his record, while Paul exits with proof he can last against elite size and power. Sonnen’s conclusion was blunt. One fighter surpassed projections. The other left room for doubt.
