Missed. Ten months after a bitter defeat against the Congolese Martin Bakole, Tony Yoka has again bitten the dust. At the end of a balanced fight, he lost against Carlos Takam after 10 rounds and by split decision of the judges. A logical defeat for all observers even if a judge, booed by the Zenith, gave the victory to the Olympic champion. Power of his opponent, physical impact and experience are the three main reasons for this failure which marks a new and very serious brake on his progress.
Carlos Takam was more powerful
The main reason for the failure of the Olympic champion is called Carlos Takam. Endearing and deep character, fascinating man, the old lion is above all a remarkable boxer. 42 years old, him? Not possible. Above all, you shouldn’t rely on his world ranking: 43rd in the heavyweight category according to the BoxRec reference site: “He was clearly more powerful than Tony (16th in the world), there’s no doubt about that. “, insists his friend Souleymane Cissokho, Olympic bronze medalist in Rio. “Carlos is clearly the first reason for his defeat,” confirms Fabrice Tiozzo, Canal +’s boxing consultant. He is really but then really a very good boxer, very strong. Powerful, clever and experienced, he logically imposed himself on the split decision of the judges (96-94, 96-94, 94-96). This fight was not much but the verdict is not disputed by anyone. Not even by Yoka himself: “He deserved his victory. Carlos is a reference among heavyweights. He’s a great champion, so I don’t have to be ashamed of my fight. By challenging him for his comeback, Tony Yoka knew he was taking a big risk. It didn’t pay off.
Yoka lost the physical challenge…
Younger (30 years old against 42 years old), taller (2.01 m for 1.87 m), lighter (113.9 kg against 117.6 kg) therefore normally faster, the Olympic champion nevertheless lost the fight physical imposed by Takam: “I had already noticed that against Bakole, insists Fabrice Tiozzo, and it even shocked me. Tony threw big straights, big left hooks. But did it hurt? I doubt. He has twice come across guys who are certainly not world champions but who are brutes. Yoka probably wasn’t. He had to leave his elder at a distance to avoid dangerous blows. He didn’t always succeed: “Of course, Tony knocks and knocks hard. But what he lacks in Tony is the physical, resumes Tiozzo. For a fight like this, he needs to be thicker, show more chest, presence, and hurt with every strike. What Takam did which opened the arch of his eyebrows. Yoka was unsuccessful and Takam walked out of the ring unmarked.
…and tactical combat
48 fights (40 V, 7D, 1) for Takam against thirteen (11 V, 2D) for Yoka to date: the two awards already say a lot. Even before climbing the ropes, the old sage had an incomparable advantage: the experience accumulated in all the halls of the world. The one who misses her younger brother for many reasons (suspension, Covid…) who has boxed little in six years of career. The venerable beast has worn out its prey. “The fight was played in its second part, confirms Souleymane Cissokho. Afterwards, Carlos showed a better physical level and his shots were in fact more powerful. “Tony Yoka concedes it:” We have been preparing for this fight since November, we have done a lot of preparation for him like me. I had a little drop during the fight, I felt it. He started to drop physically around the 6th-7th round. He’s found the breach several times, more than me. For example, I missed working between sets. I am very disappointed. But Carlos worked hard and he was the strongest. “If he wants to resume his march forward, it is still possible, but Tony Yoka, who showed his limits in the confrontation, will have to be smarter and stronger next time. Imperatively.