French heavyweight and Olympic Gold medalist Tony Yoka (11-1) heads back to his native Paris ten months on from his first career defeat to Martin Bakole.
Yoka had a torrid time in his native Paris last year against Bakole, in a fight where the Frenchman just never got going due the sheer pressure and strength of Martin Bakole.
Losing the fight on the cards, Yoka’s trainer Virgil Hunter told me immediately after the fight “We had a terrible camp, we just couldn’t get flowing in training. I couldn’t really do the work I wanted with him as we only had a couple of weeks together.”
Last years defeat of Tony Yoka shook the Parisian boxing fans, Yoka looked weak, tired and just had no answer for Martin Bakole who tormented Yoka all evening.
However, Yoka is back in his native Paris this Saturday to face an arguably tougher test in the form of Carlos Takam (39-7-1). The Olympic Gold medalist is still clearly a draw, especially in his home land. The fight card being purchased in the UK by SkySports and ESPN + having secured the American TV rights is a serious indicator on the pulling power of Yoka.
Carlos Takam comes off two defeats, last going the distance with Arslanbek Makhmudov and was previously stopped by Joe Joyce in the 6th round back in 2021. Takam’s last victory dates back to 2020, where he defeated Jerry Forrest on points in Las Vegas.
A second defeat in a row for Tony Yoka would seriously dent his career aspirations of fighting the very best in his weight class. But an explosive win over the Takam would get the French boxing fans dreams once again.
Carols Takam is in many ways a similar position to Yoka. A third career defeat for the former World title challenger would likely send Takam below his current level as a highly rated gatekeeper.
