Jake Paul knocked out Tyron Woodley on Saturday night, winning their rematch in brutal and dramatic fashion at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
The sixth-round blow flattened Woodley, and left him there for several minutes as the ring doctor checked his condition.
“I told you I was going to (expletive) him up!’’ Paul howled in the ring after the fight. “And I (expletive) him up!''
Paul led on all three judges' scoring cards during the scheduled, eight-round bout. But it was never his plan to win on points, even when blood poured down his face after an accidental elbow from Woodley.
“It was a tough fight,'' Paul said. "The blood was getting in my eye from when he elbowed me. He’s throwing me on the ground, fighting dirty. But it is what it is, you know?
“I got the job done, and I knew it would happen like that. I was setting up the shot the whole fight.''
Watching a replay of his landing the punch and Woodley falling face first, Paul said, "And, like a lumberjack ... timber!"
Paul, the 24-year-old YouTube celebrity, remains undefeated as a pro boxer. He improved to 5-0 while Woodley, the 39-year-old former UFC champion, fell to 0-2.
Back on his feet after the fight, Woodley indicated he was OK but had little else to say. But Paul offered support for the fighter who had successfully defended his UFC welterweight championship belt four times between 2016-2019.
“Hey, this guy’s a legend,'' Paul said. "Don’t take anything away from his career as a UFC champion. I respect him for taking this fight on two weeks’ notice.''
Woodley agreed to fight when Tommy Fury withdrew as Paul's opponent, citing a medical condition.
On Aug. 29, Paul beat Woodley by split decision in their first fight, setting up the rematch billed as “Leave No Doubt.’’
“Look, I was unhappy with my performance and I think that was a great thing for me because now, moving forward after that, I made so many adjustments," Paul, who spoke with USA TODAY Sports ahead of Saturday night's fight, said of his first bout with Woodley. “Everything, A to Z. My training, how hard I went, my strength and conditioning, my diet, my sleep, my recovery. Everything. I tried to get better, and it’s really paid off.''
USA TODAY Sports' Josh Peter provides round-by-round analysis of the fight:
Round 1
Woodley fires an overhand right. Going to attack early is the guess here. Fighters at the center of the ring. No fireworks here. Now Paul throwing the left jab. Fighters tangled up. Lots of holding here early. Crowd booing. Measured fighting here. No big chances. Paul jabs to the body. Fans booing as fighters in a clinch.
Peter's score: 10-9 Woodley
Round 2
Paul delivers a stinging overhand right set up with a jab. After an active first round by Woodley, Paul on the move. Woodley rebounds with a combination. Fighters tied up and throwing body punches. The crowd doesn’t like it. Lots of holding. Two fighters collide. Not exactly the sweet science here. Paul fires away, lands maybe once.
Score: 19-19
Round 3
Paul cut from the forehead after landing a combo. Looks like an accidental elbow. Now Woodley landing a barrage of punches here. Paul firing away and lands a left. Woodley winning on punch output. Blood just pouring down Paul’s face.
Score: 29-28 Woodley
Round 4
Fighters tied up again. Paul bleeding but seems unbowed. Woodley lands an uppercut. Woodley lifts Paul into the air and flips him onto the canvas. Uh, not going to count as knockdown
Score: 38-38
Round 5
Woodley lands an uppercut. Lands another. Woodley asserting himself here. In the clinch again. Again and again, fighters getting tied up. Crowd unhappy. Woodley gets the better of an exchange.
Score: 48-47 Paul
Round 6
Fighters might already be fatigued. Not much action here. In the clinch and firing, but nothing big landing. Woodley lands. Paul lands a powerful lead right ... And down goes Woodley! Down and out for good! This fight is over!
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