Poll: Can best Tony Yoka become a top 3 heavyweight ?

[Boxtune]

Thanks! I get lucky now and then. Yoka's best move for 2020 is moving to a big name promoter. He's limited though.

I think Matchroom is best for him, they have the right kind of step-up guys in their stable. Yoka is the type of guy who is probably going to win fans by his fights. Personality wise, well... He just dosent have a lot of charisma.

If he fights his French countryman takam or johann alone, he will jump in the ranking very fast, and then many agree to fight him to climb up in rankings

[Boxtune]

Really? You think that little of him? You follow the heavies far more than I do but I don't know that I'd pick 11 of those slobs to beat him now.

Mostly because of his lack of activity which I assume is due to poor management and promotion. Top 11? Maybe, but my response was more of a statement of his current development, or lack thereof. He has fallen behind, much like Dychko.

Dychko in an interview was asked what did he liked to eat daily ? and the answer was RICE WITH PORK.

The poor guy can't afford seafood, poultry , steak ...
I'm not surprised Dychko doesn't look any difference in muscle size since Olympic 2012 when he was 21 age.

[Boxtune]

Tony Yoka were supposed to fight boxrec No.17 Christian Hammer in December, but Hammer pulled out due to injury and seems fight is postponed to later date

https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/475159

[drunkenpiper36]

I don’t like to make predictions about fighters with under 10 bouts.

[KiwiRider]

I don’t like to make predictions about fighters with under 10 bouts.

Its not like he is a greenhorn with gloves on. This gives an indication
https://boxrec.com/en/worldseriesboxer/795843

[KiwiRider]

Even if he doesn't make the HW top ten, he can live vicariously through his Mrs, who is the #2 ranked lightweight behind Taylor.

[SportsRatings]

Yoka lost a lot in the amateurs and WSB but had an amazing late 2015 / 2016 winning both the World Amateurs and the Olympic gold, like he'd turned a corner in a big way. At the time he went pro I thought he had the potential to peak at #2 or #3.

Nowadays it looks like he might hit the top 10 by the time he's 40.

[cormack]

we need a higher number to select ..

like 30 - 40

Yoka is a lazy athlete who is overpaid and underworked .

Any decent HW would smash him to bits which is why he has never fought one

[cormack]

Mostly because of his lack of activity which I assume is due to poor management and promotion. Top 11? Maybe, but my response was more of a statement of his current development, or lack thereof. He has fallen behind, much like Dychko.

Nailed it right there Oggie
Yoka does not have the money behind him to get the better opponents, and outside his home, he doesn't have the fan base to garner that money on his own. How he would deal with the better ones is up for grabs really. I would like to think he has the potential to beat the likes of Whyte, Joyce, Pulev - the slower guys- and get eaten for breakfast by the likes of Usyk, Parker, Kownacki, AJ/Fury/Wilder

One of the issues with Yoka is that prior to the ped thing he got a huge sponsorship deal with some idiotic French media co which financially sets him up for life .
And so here in France he is known as a celeb etc rather than a fighter.
Dont expect to see him in a tough fight anytime soon .

and he doesnt want to travel ! every pro fight in France which is hardly a hotbed of boxing ..

[Cyclops]

At least Yoka is fighting guys who at least have a pulse. But, yeah lets hope he gets some more fights next year. So far, it is looking good, accept for having problems with his local commission or whatever. But, I would love a rematch between him and Joyce for the European strap or something.

Lets hope that they make more moves and get him in deepwaters the coming year. He got the goods for going in to the top 10. But, lets see what happens.

Yoka doesn't want to fight Joy joyce, he claims have beaten joyce 3 times in amateur.

Seems to me Yoka is so full of himself having won gold medal in Olympic. Anyhow is he ranked top 3 HW in France as of today, behind both carlos Takam and Johann Duhapas

That fight was a robbery, too. Joyce got the better of the first and because it was open scoring when he saw they'd still given it to Yoka he had to go all out to try and stop Yoka who spent most of the time covering up. It was so bad I've never seen it since: and that's not through choice. It's not available to watch anywhere. Try and find it. It's shady as f*ck, so it's been buried. Yoka could make the top 10 maybe, but he's already been exposed as a cheat, doesn't appear a natural fighter, and seems to be a legend in his own mind. He won't go anywhere.

[KiwiRider]

Yoka doesn't want to fight Joy joyce, he claims have beaten joyce 3 times in amateur.

Seems to me Yoka is so full of himself having won gold medal in Olympic. Anyhow is he ranked top 3 HW in France as of today, behind both carlos Takam and Johann Duhapas

That fight was a robbery, too. Joyce got the better of the first and because it was open scoring when he saw they'd still given it to Yoka he had to go all out to try and stop Yoka who spent most of the time covering up. It was so bad I've never seen it since: and that's not through choice. It's not available to watch anywhere. Try and find it. It's shady as f*ck, so it's been buried. Yoka could make the top 10 maybe, but he's already been exposed as a cheat, doesn't appear a natural fighter, and seems to be a legend in his own mind. He won't go anywhere.

That fight is easy to find. I watched it when Joyce turned pro as a research project. Dodgy as all heck!
Yoka is not going to set the HW division alight. He has already been busted cheating, he has lost to guys in the WSB we don't even bother mentioning as pros.
Sure the division is weak- to a point- and that point is where Yoka loses.

[world ranked]

no chance

[cormack]

Even if he doesn't make the HW top ten, he can live vicariously through his Mrs, who is the #2 ranked lightweight behind Taylor.

no he cant as they recently split up ..

[Cyclops]

That fight was a robbery, too. Joyce got the better of the first and because it was open scoring when he saw they'd still given it to Yoka he had to go all out to try and stop Yoka who spent most of the time covering up. It was so bad I've never seen it since: and that's not through choice. It's not available to watch anywhere. Try and find it. It's shady as f*ck, so it's been buried. Yoka could make the top 10 maybe, but he's already been exposed as a cheat, doesn't appear a natural fighter, and seems to be a legend in his own mind. He won't go anywhere.

That fight is easy to find. I watched it when Joyce turned pro as a research project. Dodgy as all heck!
Yoka is not going to set the HW division alight. He has already been busted cheating, he has lost to guys in the WSB we don't even bother mentioning as pros.
Sure the division is weak- to a point- and that point is where Yoka loses.

Can you put up a link to it for me?

[pound per pound]

D: None of the above.

If the poll extended to top 25, I'd vote 25th. Yoka isn't comfortable taking punch and has had PED issues.

A tall man with speed who can box, I think he gets clipped vs any top ten opponent.

[pound per pound]

D: None of the above.

If the poll extended to top 25, I'd vote 25th. Yoka isn't comfortable taking punch and has had PED issues.

A tall man with speed who can box, I think he gets clipped vs any top ten opponent.

[Lackeos]

Having earned an Super Heavyweight Olympic gold medal at age 24, and additionally a World Amateur gold medal at age 23, you'd suspect that he's pretty likely to reach a top 5 spot in the professionals. But, short-term or long-term, he has a lot of other dudes to contend with for those spots.

Some of Yoka's chief future competition under 31 years old include Joshua (30), Ruiz (30), Kownacki (30), Parker (27), Hrgovic (27), Hughie (25), Ejagba (25), Dubois (22), Kabayel (27), and Milas (24). Against that competition, plus maybe an old dude that's still around or a great young dude in the future, it's hard to believe Yoka can't eventually hit top 7.

[margaret thatcher]

tony certainly will not be a top 3 heavy, right now he might not be top 2 5

[margaret thatcher]

Having earned an Super Heavyweight Olympic gold medal at age 24, and additionally a World Amateur gold medal at age 23, you'd suspect that he's pretty likely to reach a top 5 spot in the professionals. But, short-term or long-term, he has a lot of other dudes to contend with for those spots.

Some of Yoka's chief future competition under 31 years old include Joshua (30), Ruiz (30), Kownacki (30), Parker (27), Hrgovic (27), Hughie (25), Ejagba (25), Dubois (22), Kabayel (27), and Milas (24). Against that competition, plus maybe an old dude that's still around or a great young dude in the future, it's hard to believe Yoka can't eventually hit top 7.

we only got 2 of those dudes in the top 10 now, and they're both 33

meanwhile today, 43 year old takam beats up yoka like a kid. 38 year old joyce battered parker. nearly 40 year old helenius bust up kownacki twice. hughie and kabayel have virtually done nothing in a good number of years. milas gone quiet since his loss to yoke. i dont think there's any top 10 heavy who is in their 20s.

age is a factor, but so many guys reach a high point, and then right when you think their career should take off they fall of or stagnate. it doesnt work out perfectly

the big fight in the division now would be between two 36 year olds

[DrDuke]

He looked like a feeble rangy cruiser against Bakole and the Old Takam. Although I won't pick him even against the current cruiser champs. Yoka must grab the bridger opportunity asap. Any decent heavie bullies him.

[watsupdoc87]

Fuk no hes gash

[tiny_acres]

He looked like a feeble rangy cruiser against Bakole and the Old Takam. Although I won't pick him even against the current cruiser champs. Yoka must grab the bridger opportunity asap. Any decent heavie bullies him.

I seriously doubt Yoka would or could effectively drop 30 pounds to go to bridger.
He is 6'7" and does come onto his fights in good shape.
His problem is he is just not top level. I doubt he will be

[KiwiRider]

D: None of the above.

Da man!

[cormack]

D: None of the above.

Da man!

yoka needs to get back on the eggs in order to compete at the top .

[KiwiRider]

D: None of the above.

Da man!

yoka needs to get back on the eggs in order to compete at the top .

I think the damage (psychologically) is done Steve. I might be reading too much into it, but last night he looked almost fearful when shots were landing on him, and we are not exactly talking high volume here. He could have had Takem at the end of his long rangy jab all night, using his height, reach and legs to control the old fella.
We will have to wait and see if Yoka fights again. It most likely will be for the money because his heart didn't seem to be in it at all. Its a tough career comeback from being dominated by an aged gate keeper.