Anthony Joshua knocked out Jake Paul in the sixth round of their fight on Friday night.

Joshua smelled blood in the water in the fifth round, knocking Paul down twice. Somehow, Paul survived the round. He didn’t last long in the sixth round as the British heavyweight delivered the final blows.

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It wasn’t as easy for Joshua as he would have liked. He landed 62% of his power shots but the expectation was that he wasn’t going to take the bout further than the round.

“It wasn’t the best performance,” Joshua admitted, adding that Paul held his own in the fight.

Paul came out bouncing around the ring and trying to take his shots wherever he could get them. He delivered a few quick jabs to Joshua and likely won the first round. However, Paul’s strategy started to frustrate the referee and the crowd.

The Cleveland native would strike Joshua and try to wrap him up. He hit the mat a few times, sparking boos from the crowd at the Kaseya Center in Miami. The referee even had to weigh in.

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Jake Paul, left, attempts to avoid Anthony Joshua during their heavyweight boxing match, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Miami, Florida. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

“Fans did not pay to see this crap,” the referee said in the middle of the fourth round.

They sure didn’t.

But the two brought it after the referee’s warning, but Paul’s stamina began to wane. It allowed Joshua to step forward and hit the necessary shots to knock him down.

Paul came into the fight with only one blemish on his record – a loss to Tommy Fury. He was coming off wins against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Mike Tyson – the latter bout being one of the biggest spectacles the sport had seen in years.

He told Netflix’s Ariel Helwani that he believed his jaw was broken. He said he would take some time off after the fight and come back stronger.

Joshua hadn’t fought since last September. He was knocked out by Daniel Dubois in a bout for the IBF heavyweight title. Before that, he was on a four-fight winning streak with victories over Francis Ngannou, Otto Wallin, Robert Helenius and Jermaine Franklin.

Anthony Joshua, left, in action against Jake Paul during their heavyweight boxing match, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Miami, Florida. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

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The British star called out Tyson Fury for a mega fight that boxing fans have been waiting for.

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Houston Rockets ownership is in substantive talks with the Connecticut Sun over the potential purchase and relocation of the WNBA franchise, sources told ESPN this week.

The discussions have been described as “positive,” and Rockets ownership has improved its offer to a number the Sun might find acceptable, a source close to the situation said.

The source said that while a formal offer has been discussed, the parties have not signed an exclusivity agreement and there has not been a decision on the future of the franchise.

The WNBA previously indicated strong interest in a return to Houston. At the league’s three-team expansion announcement in June, commissioner Cathy Engelbert specifically highlighted Houston and Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta as “up next” and “the one we have our eye on.”

The Sun have been owned by the Mohegan tribe since 2003, when they bought and relocated the franchise from Orlando, Florida, to Uncasville, Connecticut. A sale to Rockets ownership would mark the latest example of the WNBA moving toward having more teams with NBA owners.

The Sun launched a process to explore investment options over a year ago, initially seeking to assess opportunities for a limited partnership sale that would help fund an infrastructure build.

Earlier this year, Houston was among the groups that expressed interest in buying the Sun outright, eventually raising its offer to $250 million, the amount that Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia paid in an expansion fee earlier this year.

In early July, Sun ownership reached a deal to sell the team for a record $325 million to a group led by former Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca that would have moved the franchise to Boston. The WNBA effectively blocked the deal from progressing any further, holding firm that “relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams” and that cities that have already gone through the expansion process have priority over Boston.

The WNBA then offered to buy the Sun for $250 million, which would have allowed it to facilitate a sale to a market of its choice. There was a belief at the time that the league was looking to move the Sun to Houston after Houston did not get an expansion team in June.

Sun ownership has more recently explored a potential opportunity where funds affiliated with the state of Connecticut could be used to buy a minority stake in the franchise. But those talks have slowed, sources told ESPN.

The hope is that a resolution on the franchise’s future can be determined before free agency, where all but two league veterans are not under contract. The exact timing of free agency, though, is uncertain as the league and players’ union continue to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement, with a deadline for a deal currently set for Jan. 9.

The Houston Comets were an iconic original franchise that won the league’s first four championships (1997-2000) and was home to some of women’s basketball’s biggest stars in Sheryl Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper and Tina Thompson before the franchise disbanded after the 2008 season.

Los Angeles Rams star wide receiver Puka Nacua’s tumultuous Thursday began with an apology and ended with more controversial remarks.

In between, he had a career-best performance. 

After catching 12 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns in Thursday’s overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Nacua once again expressed his frustration with how NFL referees handled the game.

Nacua previously suggested game officials shared similarities to attorneys. The remarks came after the third-year wideout claimed some referees throw flags during games to ramp up their camera time.

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After the Seahawks 38-37 win propelled Seattle to the top spot in the NFC standings, Nacua took a veiled shot at the game’s officials. 

“Can you say i was wrong. Appreciate you stripes for your contribution. Lol,” he wrote on X.

The Pro Bowler added that his statement on X was made in “a moment of frustration after a tough, intense game like that.”

RAMS STAR PUKA NACUA ACCUSES REFS OF MAKING UP CALLS TO GET ON TV: ‘THE WORST’

“It was just a lack of awareness and just some frustration,” Nacua said. “I know there were moments where I feel like, ‘Man, you watch the other games and you think of the calls that some guys get and you wish you could get some of those.’ But that’s just how football has played, and I’ll do my job in order to work my technique to make sure that there’s not an issue with the call.”

But, this time, Nacua’s criticism resulted in a hefty fine. The league issued a $25,000 penalty, according to NFL Network. 

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (12) runs with the ball during the second half against the Seattle Seahawks Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Seattle.  (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

Nacua had expressed aggravation on social media just days after the 24-year-old asserted during a livestream appearance with internet personalities Adin Ross and N3on that “the refs are the worst.”

“Some of the rules aren’t … these guys want to be … these guys are lawyers. They want to be on TV too,” Nacua said, per ESPN. “You don’t think he’s texting his friends in the group chat like, ‘Yo, you guys just saw me on “Sunday Night Football.” That wasn’t P.I., but I called it.'”

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (12) scores a touchdown during the second half against the Seattle Seahawks Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Seattle.  (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

On Thursday, reporters asked Nacua if he wanted to clarify his stance on the suggestion referees actively seek being in front of cameras during games. 

“No, I don’t,” he replied.

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Also on Thursday, Nacua apologized for performing a gesture that plays upon antisemitic tropes.

“I had no idea this act was antisemitic in nature and perpetuated harmful stereotypes against Jewish people,” the receiver said in an Instagram post. “I deeply apologize to anyone who was offended by my actions as I do not stand for any form of racism, bigotry or hate of another group of people.”

Rams coach Sean McVay dismissed the idea that all the off-field chatter surrounding Nacua was a distraction leading up to Los Angeles’ clash with its NFC West division rival. 

“It wasn’t a distraction at all,” McVay said. “Did you think his play showed he was distracted? I didn’t think so either. He went off today.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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