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As Jake Paul licks his wounds and recovers from the broken jaw he suffered in Friday's knockout loss against Anthony Joshua in their heavyweight bout, the former YouTube star should be proud of himself.

Somehow, some way the 28-year-old Paul, who was dropped four times inside the Kaseya Center in Miami, made it into the sixth round against the former two-time heavyweight champion and 2012 Olympic gold medalist. In fact, Paul (12-2, 7 KOs) even landed a few big shots along the way, including a straight right that turned the chin of Joshua (29-4, 26 KOs). 

It probably goes without saying but here it is once more: Paul has got a lot of guts to fuel his maverick, daredevil personality as the best influencer-boxer in the world (and a pretty good promoter, to boot, as the co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions). 

But it's at Paul's bravery where the pleasantries regarding this Netflix "attraction" begin and end. 

For the third consecutive time, Paul left real boxing fans shaking their heads following another spectacle that continues to be cleverly gift-wrapped as an officially sanctioned professional boxing match promising skill and entertainment. 

If the sad reality of Paul carrying a 58-year-old Mike Tyson to the eight-round limit in November 2024, or Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., the 39-year-old former middleweight titleholder turned boxing punchline, refusing to try for the first eight rounds against Paul in June wasn't enough to for you to hit eject on "The Jake Paul Boxing Experience" once and for all, Paul-Joshua undoubtedly served as the straw that broke the boxing purist's back.

Paul, who insisted on a cavernous 22-foot by 22-foot ring, proceeded to fight in about as negative and frustrating a style as possible as he circled away from Joshua, routinely held him and, even worse, routinely fell to the ground while holding Joshua's leg in order to buy more time. The performance made an absolute mockery of the sloppy fight that was only made more frustrating by the fact that Joshua refused to jab, barely let his right hand go and routinely missed open head shots by catching Paul's shoulders in a largely uninspired performance.

After Paul began his pro career by feasting on a series of overmatched entertainers, retired pro athletes and aging MMA legends, the call for him to finally fight someone his own size or experience level only raised, especially considering the only time Paul did -- in a 2023 bout against Tommy Fury -- he suffered his first pro defeat via split decision. The matchup against Joshua, creatively billed as "Judgement Day" after AJ replaced Paul's original November opponent, lightweight star Gervonta "Tank" Davis, was supposed to be Paul's moment of truth. 

Instead, it was an embarrassment, only further fueling the echo on social media of critics who believe that Paul's fights are fixed or scripted, which is something that has never been substantiated (and Paul takes seriously as an accusation, regularly threatening defamation lawsuits). But what Friday's fight truly proved is that the only thing worse than consumers believing your fights aren't real is believing that they are and being disgusted enough by the quality of the spectacle to not be interested in any further sequels. 

As an influencer, Paul knows firsthand the power of a viral moment and his professional boxing career has been filled with many of them, which is a testament to his ability to become one of the sport's biggest draws despite not having an amateur career and constantly being doubted. But the audience can only put up with flash and farce for so long before the hunger pains of actual substance begin to drown out all of the noise. 

Paul's fights often feel more like exhibitions, which is why they technically should be labeled and commissioned as such. They are empty calories and more akin to reality television as Paul, who might as well star in his own Generation Z version of "Fear Factor" or "Pros vs. Joes" while he dares to be crazy enough to last six rounds with Joshua, challenge a middle-aged Tyson or chase around a 135-pound Davis. This is "MrBeast Games" in a boxing ring and there's undoubtedly a market for it. 

But these can no longer be sanctioned as real fights and can no longer be presented as part of the traditional boxing menu.  

For anyone to act like the sport of boxing is better than this simply doesn't pay close enough attention to how often this sport truly can't get out of its own way. Boxing isn't better than this, not by any means, which is why we can rarely have nice things. But it should be. 

Paul took home millions of dollars for a fight in which he barely tried to win. For him, this was about survival and proving the doubters wrong. 

And for those who only tuned in out of morbid curiosity to see the heel Paul finally get his, they got that, too. Along with enough reason to never tune back in again.