Jake Paul has revealed the “biggest mistake” he made in the run-up to his much-anticipated bout against Anthony Joshua. Joshua floored Paul in the sixth round of their heavyweight clash at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida last Friday. The YouTuber-turned-boxer was promptly whisked off to hospital after hitting the deck, where he underwent surgery for a fractured jaw.

Appearing on the ‘IMPAULSIVE’ podcast the following day, Paul, struggling to speak, disclosed that doctors had inserted four metal plates into his jaw – which had broken in two places and resulted in the loss of several teeth. “It’s like there’s a baseball in there,” he told his brother, Logan, during the episode that aired on Tuesday. “Four titanium plates. It’s literally snapped, bro, completely snapped.”

Despite being on the losing side, Paul maintained that he was still satisfied with his performance against Joshua. “I mean, it’s not that hard to get your a– beat,” he joked. “Actually, I won two rounds, then he won two, then I got dropped. 

“But yeah, I was doing good. I just think my cardio, the mental pressure of the big guy, and sparring the big people, is different than the 10-ounce gloves. So I was feeling his power more. But it was great experience. I learned a lot in there.”

Paul was originally set to square off against Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, who weighs in at approximately 135 pounds, last month. However, this plan was scrapped following domestic violence allegations against Davis, which he refutes.

Instead of sticking with a lightweight contender, Paul chose to climb several weight divisions and challenge Joshua – a two-time unified heavyweight champion standing at 6-foot-6 and weighing 243.4 pounds.

“It was just mental,” Paul commented on his bout with Joshua. “It was just like, him imposing his will on me, and being massive, and the big shots landing. Then, yeah, it pretty much all goes downhill from there. I wish I had more than three weeks to prepare, to maybe put on some more muscle to be able to sit there and hit him.”

As soon as the first bell sounded, Paul began moving around the ring, keeping a considerable distance from Joshua in an attempt to endure as long as possible. He seemed intent on avoiding a direct confrontation with the 36-year-old, choosing instead to seize occasional opportunities.

Paul’s continuous circling, delaying tactics, and clinching eventually took their toll, as he looked exhausted by mid-fight. Joshua finally managed to corner his opponent, knocking him down twice in the fifth round and once again at the beginning of the sixth.

When Joshua had Paul cornered, he delivered a crushing right hand to the head, sending him crashing to the canvas one final time.

Reflecting on his preparation before the fight, Paul admitted he should have trained at higher altitudes to boost his stamina. “I should have gone to altitude to train,” he acknowledged.

“That was my biggest mistake. I felt good about [my camp], yeah. But I just needed to have that extra level of cardio for this, and that only can come from going to altitude.

“It’s a great experience overall to be in there with someone that’s that good. I learned a lot. I see where I could have done better. So, I’m a little disappointed, but I also know how good he is. But I had him wobbled at one point. I had him wobbled.”