'There was a strict message'... - Anthony Joshua leaks instruction he received ahead of Jake Paul fight

Anthony Joshua has revealed the "strict message" he received going into his devastating knockout of Jake Paul back in December.

Joshua met Paul in a superfight in Miami, with the eight-round bout breaking records around the world after being streamed live on Netflix.

Despite Paul making waves in boxing, the fight proved to be the ultimate mismatch as he was pummelled around the ring at the Kaseya Center and knocked down four times.

Joshua eventually dispatched Paul in brutal fashion in the sixth round, putting him to the sword after a deadly combination.

The two-time undisputed heavyweight champion admitted it was not his best performance but he may well have ended Paul's boxing career after he was forced to undergo surgery on a broken jaw.

READ MORE: Anthony Anthony Joshua had the coldest response when told he might've ended Jake Paul's career

Paul has not returned to action since that defeat and months on, Joshua has reflected on the "job" he successfully executed in the 'Magic City'.

“I always say no matter if they move around and they run around, I’m that good I should be able to knock him out in a round, right? It doesn’t matter that he’s running around,” Joshua said, speaking to Ring Magazine.

“Some would say, ‘Well, just cut the ring off. Just do this, and that’s what we should be doing.’ However, I knew that if I throw a barrage of punches in my mind and I go in there and the referee waves the fight off after 30 seconds or 2 to 3 rounds, I don’t think it would have been satisfying.

“There was a strict message that was given and a task that was laid upon me, and that was to get rid of Jake Paul and remove him from our beloved sport, which is boxing. Whether that took me one round or whether that took me six rounds, I believe the job was well and truly done."

Anthony Joshua returns to the ring next month

While Paul has been focusing on promotional ventures, Joshua is back in the squared circle next month when he takes on Kristian Prenga in Riyadh on July 25 after agreeing a multi-fight deal with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Joshua has had an extended period away from the sport after suffering injuries in a car crash which claimed the lives of two his closest friends.

The bout with Prenga is being used as a tune-up fight for Joshua, who has agreed to take on rival Tyson Fury in the biggest fight in British boxing.

Joshua rejected the advances from Fury at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after he beat Arslanbek Makhmudov in April but contracts were later signed and everything points towards a showdown in 2026.