Rory McIlroy completes 8,000-mile round trip to watch Anthony Joshua knock out Jake Paul

Rory McIlroy concluded a frantic week of travel by jetting to Miami to attend Friday’s Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua fight.

The golf star racked up a whopping 8,000 air miles over the space of 48 hours to cap off a celebratory week.

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McIlroy’s busy schedule began on Wednesday where he took part in the Golf Channel Games at Trump National Golf Club Jupiter, Florida.

The 36-year-old later boarded a flight to the UK where he was one of six nominees for the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year award.

And the journey from Florida to Salford was worth its weight in gold as McIlroy claimed the prestigious award.

Jet setter

After scooping the prize, McIlroy boarded yet another flight bound for the Sunshine State in anticipation for the much-anticipated fight.

The Masters champion was pictured ringside at the Kaseya Center to watch former two-time heavyweight champion Joshua defeat the YouTuber-turned boxer with a brutal sixth-round knockout.

Speaking to the BBC, McIlroy revealed details of his frantic schedule to enable to attend the fight.

“Quick turnaround. Flew from Manchester this morning about 9am, landed, went home, freshened up and then came here,” he said.

“Yeah, it is a quick turnaround, but a great couple of nights.”

The Northern Irishman was among a host of star names in attendance which included Lennox Lewis, Teofimo Lopez and Andre Ward.

And McIlroy was very much the centre of attention as he posed for photos with Netflix chief Content officer, Bela Bajaria and American businessman and social media personality, Dave Portnoy.

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Joshua reigns supreme

The Grand Slam champion watched on as Joshua disposed of Paul but not until after a frustrating opening to the fight.

The Watford puncher struggled to land any meaningful punches in the early rounds with Paul doing his best to evade him by keeping his distance.

The 36-year-old was unable to finish off Paul in quick time as many had anticipated as the YouTube sensation continued to dodge the ex-Champion whilst barely offering any offensive.

A ferocious left hook from Joshua dropped Paul for the first time before sending the American to the Canvas again with a thunderous right-left combination 30 seconds later.

A tired and beaten Paul clung on until the end of the fifth round but the worst was yet to come.

Joshua’s experience and two-stone superiority proved to be too much for Paul to contend with a further two knockdowns with the British fighter bringing an end to proceedings in the sixth round.

For Joshua, attention is now likely to turn to a blockbuster all-British showdown with Tyson Fury which could take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2026.