By the time Anthony Joshua finally made his way toward the post-fight press conference in Miami, the job everyone came to see had already been handled.
Jake Paul was beaten. The Kaseya Center was still humming.
Joshua’s hand had been lifted once again.
But what stayed with me had nothing to do with the sixth-round stoppage. It was what came after.
The way Joshua carried himself in those quiet moments away from the ring told a much deeper story than the punches ever could.
Walking, Talking, Thinking It Through
Instead of disappearing into the usual post-fight bubble, Joshua did something unexpected. He asked me to walk with him.
We moved together from the dressing room, down the corridors, into the lift, and toward the press conference.
No rush. No rush of adrenaline-fueled celebration either.
He was open, reflective, and strikingly honest.
There was laughter along the way. Jokes. Photos with his team.
A lighthearted moment with former trainer Derrick James, where Joshua teased that James had taught him some of the moves that ultimately shut Paul down.
On the surface, he looked relaxed. Almost lighter.
But beneath that ease was a mind already back at work.
A Victory That Meant More Than It Looked
After the brutal knockout loss to Daniel Dubois last September, this win mattered.
You could feel it in the air around him. This wasn’t just another result on a record.
It felt like a release. Proof that he was back on the right side of things.
And yet, celebration never fully arrived.
Joshua wasn’t soaking it in. He was measuring it. Weighing it. Finding the flaws.
Giving Credit, But Taking None for Himself
As we walked, Joshua stopped and summed it all up in one sentence.
“He weren’t knocked out cold. I’ll give him his credit,” he said.
“But no, I wasn’t happy. If I’m honest.”
That was it. That was the mindset.
Yes, Paul was dropped multiple times in the fifth and sixth rounds.
Yes, the ending was decisive. Once Joshua found his rhythm, the fight slipped away from the YouTuber-turned-boxer quickly.
But Joshua wasn’t judging himself by the result.
He was judging himself by a much harsher standard.
Six Rounds That Felt Like Too Many
Joshua knew exactly what people would say.
Why did it take six rounds? Why was Paul allowed to land at all? Why wasn’t it over sooner?
He was already asking himself those same questions.
“There are definitely things I could have done better,” he admitted.
“I’m going to be 100 per cent honest. There’s a lot I’m going to improve before my next fight.
I got my hand raised, and that matters, but still.”
He didn’t feel rusty, despite being out of the ring for 15 months.
That almost made it worse in his own mind.
“If you’re a good fighter, you should knock him out within two rounds,” he said.
“If I was a coach, I’d be going mad at my student.”
Having the Tough Conversation Before It Even Happens
What stood out most was that Joshua hadn’t even spoken to his coach yet — but he already knew exactly how that conversation would go.
“This guy’s not on your level,” he said, imagining the critique.
“It’s not good enough. He landed one or two punches. It went six rounds. That’s not good enough.”
Backstage, he was smiling and joking.
Internally, he was already back in training camp mode. Breaking everything down. Demanding more.
The contrast was impossible to miss.
A New Environment, A Sharper Standard
This version of Joshua isn’t accidental.
He’s now working alongside Oleksandr Usyk’s team, a group obsessed with precision, discipline, and tiny improvements that separate good from great.
Speaking separately to Sergey Lapin, a key figure in Usyk’s camp and now part of Joshua’s setup, the message was clear.
The win was welcome. But the work is far from finished.
Joshua is trying to rise to that environment.
To live up to those expectations.
And it shows.
The Distraction He Doesn’t Want Anymore
At one point, Joshua opened up about where this relentless mindset comes from.
He referenced a moment involving legendary trainer Cus D’Amato and a young Mike Tyson.
“Cus said to Mike, ‘Your mind’s not on your work.
Something’s distracting you,’” Joshua recalled. “And it hit me. That’s what it is. I’m too distracted.”
That line felt revealing.
Joshua doesn’t want the noise anymore. No side shows.
No outside narratives. No business distractions. Just boxing.
“The coaches don’t give us much room for error because they know what’s on the line,” he said, smiling as he prepared to face the press.
“I’ve done a lot of waffling… maybe you can put this into ChatGPT to simplify my message.”
The Message Was Already Clear
It didn’t need simplifying.
Anthony Joshua is glad to be winning again.
Relieved, even. But satisfied? Not remotely.
And that restlessness — that refusal to be content — may be the most important thing of all.
What’s Next?
Joshua didn’t spell it out, but the direction feels obvious. Fewer distractions.
Higher standards. Harder questions asked internally before anyone else gets the chance.
The win over Jake Paul wasn’t the destination. It was a checkpoint.
And if this version of Anthony Joshua has anything to say about it, the real work is only just beginning.
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