OLYMPIC gold medallist Tony Yoka looks to get his turbulent career back on track after joining forces with Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions.
His new promotional agreement was announced via social media just yesterday, confirming what the Frenchman hopes will be a more promising state of affairs in the UK market.
Despite coming off a unanimous decision victory, outpointing the previously unbeaten Arslan Yallyev, Yoka, 14-3 (11 KOs), has not exactly set the world alight in the professional ranks.
Stoppage victories over the likes of Dave Allen and Petar Milas saw him amass an encouraging unbeaten run, before a majority decision loss to Martin Bakole in 2021 largely derailed his progression.
His first blemish was then followed by two more points defeats, this time against Carlos Takam and Ryad Merhy – a former cruiserweight – which put his status as a formidable contender into question.
But now, the 33-year-old has afforded himself perhaps the best possible opportunity to reignite his career, joining a flourishing stable of world-ranked heavyweight operators.
The most obvious matchup, it seems, would be an eagerly awaited rematch with Joe Joyce, who suffered a controversial split decision defeat to Yoka in the 2016 Olympic super-heavyweight final.
Since then, Joyce has, in many ways, outshone his former amateur rival, particularly with stoppage victories over the likes of Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker.
And while more recent performances have seen him lose four of his last five outings, the 39-year-old has, at the same time, expressed an interest in extending his twilight years.
As for Yoka, a win over Joyce would take him one step closer towards a shot at world honours, following closely behind a long list of his Queensberry counterparts.
