Tony Yoka

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Tony Yoka
Tony Yoka Gold.jpg
Yoka at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Statistics
Real nameAnthony Victor James Yoka
Nickname(s)The Artist[1]
Weight(s)Heavyweight
Height6 ft 7 in (201 cm)
Reach82 in (208 cm)
NationalityFrench
Born (1992-04-28) 28 April 1992 (age 29)
Paris, France
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record[2]
Total fights11
Wins11
Wins by KO9
Losses0
hide
Medal record
Men's amateur boxing
Representing  France
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio de Janeiro Super-heavyweight
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2015 Doha Super-heavyweight
European Games
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Baku Super-heavyweight
EU Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Sofia Super-heavyweight
Youth Olympic Games[3]
Gold medal – first place 2010 Singapore Super-heavyweight
Youth World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2010 Baku Super-heavyweight

Anthony Victor James Yoka (born 28 April 1992) is a French professional boxer who has held the European heavyweight title since 2021.[4] As an amateur he represented France at the 2015 World Championships and 2016 Olympics, winning gold medals in the super-heavyweight division.

Amateur career[]

Yoka won the gold medal against future WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker in the super heavyweight division at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore.[3] At the 2010 Youth World Amateur Boxing Championships he lost the final to Filip Hrgović.[5] In 2011 he lost at the European (Senior) Championships to Olympic Champion Roberto Cammarelle.[6] At the 2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships he outpointed Jasem Delavari from Iran but was knocked out by Cuban Erislandy Savón. At the 2012 European Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament he beat three opponents before getting stopped by Magomed Omarov.[7]

In 2015, Yoka first missed a chance to get the gold at the 2015 European Games but still managed to get the bronze medal.[8] Following this achievement, Yoka won the gold at the 2015 AIBA World Boxing Championships, earning him a spot at the 2016 Olympic Games at Rio de Janeiro.[9]

Yoka won the gold over the British boxer Joe Joyce in the super heavyweight division at the 2016 Olympic Games, earning France its first Super Heavyweight gold medal.[10]

Before this fight, Yoka had beaten Hussein Ishaish in the quarter-final, and Filip Hrgović in the semi-final. His amateur record was 60 wins and 12 losses. [11]

Professional career[]

In 2017 Yoka turned professional. Trained by Virgil Hunter, Yoka fought and beat Travis Clark in his debut fight at Le Palais des Sports in Paris, in June 2017.[12] In October 2017, Yoka defeated Jonathan Rice via unanimous decision 59–56, 60–54, and 58–56.

In July 2018, the French Anti-Doping Agency banned him for one year because of missing three drug tests between July 2016 and July 2017.[13] His appeal against the ruling was rejected by the French Council of State in August 2018.[14]

On 28 September, 2019, Yoka faced Michael Wallisch. Yoka dropped Wallisch in the third round and Wallisch barely beat the count, which prompted the referee to wave the fight off and award Yoka the TKO victory.[15]

In his next fight, Yoka faced former world title challenger and veteran countryman Johann Duhaupas. Yoka cruised past his experienced opponent, dropping him twice in the first round, the second time also being the final one from which Duhaupas would not get up.[16]

On 27 November, 2020, Yoka faced another veteran in Christian Hammer. Hammer caused Yoka some problems during the fight, but Yoka's win was never at risk, and went on to win the fight via unanimous decision, 100–89 on all three scorecards.[17]

Nickname[]

Although he has mistakenly been introduced as "La Conquête" by various international media, Yoka's actual nickname is "L'Artiste" (English: The Artist).[1] La Conquête (English: The Conquest) is the title collectively given by French broadcaster Canal+ to a series of televised cards headlined by Yoka.[18]

Professional boxing record[]

Professional record summary hide
11 fights 11 wins 0 losses
By knockout 9 0
By decision 2 0
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
11 Win 11–0 Croatia Petar Milas TKO 7 (10), 2:59 10 Sep 2021 France Stade Roland Garros, Paris, France
10 Win 10–0

Belgium Joel Tambwe Djeko

TKO 12 (12), 2:59 5 Mar 2021

France H Arena, Nantes, France

Won vacant European Union heavyweight title
9 Win 9–0 Romania Christian Hammer UD 10 27 Nov 2020 France H Arena, Nantes, France
8 Win 8–0 France Johann Duhaupas TKO 1 (12), 2:45 25 Sep 2020 France La Défense Arena, Paris, France
7 Win 7–0 Germany Michael Wallisch TKO 3 (10), 1:17 28 Sep 2019 France Palais des Sports de Beaulieu, Nantes, France
6 Win 6–0 Germany Alexander Dimitrenko TKO 3 (10), 1:27 13 Jul 2019 France Azur Arena Antibes, Antibes, France
5 Win 5–0 United Kingdom David Allen TKO 10 (10), 0:43 23 Jun 2018 France Palais des Sports, Paris, France
4 Win 4–0 France Cyril Léonet TKO 5 (10), 2:21 7 Apr 2018 France Palais des Sports, Paris, France
3 Win 3–0 Belgium Ali Baghouz TKO 2 (8), 1:04 16 Dec 2017 France La Seine Musicale, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
2 Win 2–0 United States Jonathan Rice UD 6 14 Oct 2017 France Zénith Paris, Paris, France
1 Win 1–0 United States Travis Clark KO 2 (6), 2:01 2 Jun 2017 France Palais des Sports, Paris, France

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Boxe: Tony Yoka, 'l'artiste' vous salue bien à l'issue des Mondiaux". lexpress.fr. Altice Media Group. AFP. October 15, 2015. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  2. ^ "Boxing record for Tony Yoka". BoxRec.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Yog On The Road To London 2012… Talks To Tony Yoka". olympic.org. 1 July 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  4. ^ "AJ's French rival returns with KO win". skysports.com. 6 March 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  5. ^ Results In 2011, he fought at the World Series of Boxing (WSB). Despite his young age, he won the 2011 edition.
  6. ^ Euro Results
  7. ^ Qualifier
  8. ^ "Jeux Européens: Toni Yoka (+91kg) en bronze".
  9. ^ http://aiba.s3.amazonaws.com/2015/02/Medallist-by-weight-category.pdf
  10. ^ "French boxer Tony Yoka joins fiancé Estelle Mossely in Olympic glory". rfi.fr. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  11. ^ "VIDEO. JO 2016 : le boxeur français Tony Yoka sur le toit du monde". Franceinfo (in French). 2016-08-21. Retrieved 2017-06-03.
  12. ^ "Boxe. VIDÉOS : Tony Yoka remporte son premier combat pro par K.O". Ouest-France.fr (in French). Retrieved 2017-06-03.
  13. ^ "Olympic boxing champion Yoka banned for one-year by French Anti-Doping Agency". www.insidethegames.biz. Retrieved 2019-01-08.
  14. ^ "Tony Yoka's Appeal is Rejected, Doping Ban is Upheld By Judge". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 2019-01-08.
  15. ^ "Tony Yoka Crushes Michael Wallisch in Three Rounds". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  16. ^ "Tony Yoka blasts out Johann Duhaupas with two knockdowns in first round". The Ring. 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  17. ^ Christ, Scott (2020-11-27). "Tony Yoka takes decision over Christian Hammer to stay unbeaten". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  18. ^ Phelippeau, David (November 27, 2020). "Quand Tony Yoka affronte Christian Hammer, dit 'le marteau', le combat démarre dès la pesée". 20minutes.fr. 20 Minutes France. Retrieved July 18, 2021.

External links[]

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