Rory McIlroy made a quick return to the United States to attend Friday’s Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua fight in Miami
Rory McIlroy(Image: Ivan Apfel/Getty Images)
Following his win at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards, Rory McIlroy made a swift return to the United States to attend the Jake Paul v Anthony Joshua fight in Miami on Friday.
The Holywood golfer was spotted ringside at the Kaseya Center, where Joshua emerged victorious over the YouTuber-turned-boxer. However, it took the former two-time heavyweight champion until the sixth round to secure his win.
McIlroy was seen grinning from ear to ear as he posed for a snap with Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s Chief Content Officer, and Dave Portnoy, an American businessman and social media personality.
Speaking to the BBC, the world number two explained how he made it back to America from the BBC awards show, which took place on Thursday. “Quick turnaround. Flew from Manchester this morning about 9am, landed, went home, freshend up and then came here,” he said. “Yeah, it is a quick turnaround, but a great couple of nights.”
Joshua, who is rumoured to be close to finalising a highly-anticipated match with Tyson Fury in Riyadh in 2026, had to work harder than expected to defeat a brave, though significantly outclassed, opponent.
In the early rounds, Joshua struggled to land a substantial hit, with Paul skilfully evading his opponent by weaving around the ropes, reports Belfast Live.
The 36-year-old, whose last bout was 15 months ago when he lost to Daniel Dubois, couldn’t deliver the quick victory many had predicted. However, the threat from the elusive Paul remained minimal as the American focused more on avoiding his opponent than landing a punch himself.
A missed overhand right from Joshua led to Paul cheekily sticking his tongue out during the second round. The underdog did manage to land a jab halfway through the third round, but the lacklustre bout continued to drag on, much to the growing frustration of the spectators.
The mood inside the Kaseya Center soured further when Paul hit the deck multiple times during a bizarre fourth round, prompting referee Christopher Young to step in and tell both fighters “the fans didn’t pay to see this crap”.
Joshua’s class finally shone through in the fifth round as Paul’s hopes began to fade rapidly. A thunderous left hook sent him down for the first count of the night, followed by a devastating right-left combination just half a minute later that put him on the canvas again.
Despite facing an opponent carrying nearly two stone more, Paul somehow survived until the bell ended the fifth. But Joshua’s unrelenting assault in the sixth round proved too much, with Paul crumbling in the corner before the referee waved it off.
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