Tony Yoka vs. Herve Hubeaux - TBA

[oogiebe]

EO vs BoxTune. Who will prevail?

[JamesPhilips]

And finally, Yoka’s career has been hindered due to serving a suspension and also fight cards being cancelled in Europe due to COVID-19.

The suspension is in the past and Covid has affected the whole world. The fact remains that Herve Hubeaux poses no more threat to Yoka than Djeko did.

It's time to step it up Tony, you aren't getting any younger and you are merely treading water.

It seems we agree on most things, but it's important to note that Tony Yoka is still only 28 years of age, for sure his next birthday is very soon, but it's not as if he's over-the-hill.

Anyway, let's review Yoka's resume:

• Tony Yoka made his pro debut against an unbeaten 12-fight pro.

• Yoka fought Jonathan Rice in his second outing, but Efe Ajagba faced the same fighter only six months ago and was the Nigerian’s 14th opponent.

• Yoka’s third opponent was Ali Baghouz, but Martin Bakole fought the same guy during his tenth outing.

• Yoka’s fifth opponent was Dave Allen, but Luis Ortiz faced the Brit during his 27th outing.

• Yoka’s sixth opponent was Alexander Dimitrenko, but Andy Ruiz Jr. faced the German fighter during his 33rd outing.

• Yoka’s seventh opponent was Michael Wallisch, but Joe Joyce faced the German fighter during his 11th outing.

• Yoka’s ninth opponent was Christian Hammer, but Luis Ortiz faced the German fighter during his 32nd outing.

• Yoka’s tenth opponent was Joel Djeko, a fighter that hadn’t tasted defeat in five years.

• Yoka’s next opponent is Herve Hubeaux, a fight ordered by the EBU, but Oscar Rivas faced the Belgium fighter during his 24th outing.

It’s my understanding that the French government has imposed travel restrictions due to COVID-19, so bearing that in mind, which sort of fighters should Yoka realistically be facing right now?

Are there any prospects around Yoka’s age that have progressed as quickly as the Frenchman?

Tony Yoka might have turned pro almost four years ago, but he was suspended for one of them and probably lost another due to COVID-19.

Yoka is also a gold medallist, although undeserved, and more importantly had 15 fights in the WSB. I think he'll get ko'd by the first decent guy he faces who can punch.

[Boxtune]

It seems we agree on most things, but it's important to note that Tony Yoka is still only 28 years of age, for sure his next birthday is very soon, but it's not as if he's over-the-hill.

Anyway, let's review Yoka's resume:

• Tony Yoka made his pro debut against an unbeaten 12-fight pro.

• Yoka fought Jonathan Rice in his second outing, but Efe Ajagba faced the same fighter only six months ago and was the Nigerian’s 14th opponent.

• Yoka’s third opponent was Ali Baghouz, but Martin Bakole fought the same guy during his tenth outing.

• Yoka’s fifth opponent was Dave Allen, but Luis Ortiz faced the Brit during his 27th outing.

• Yoka’s sixth opponent was Alexander Dimitrenko, but Andy Ruiz Jr. faced the German fighter during his 33rd outing.

• Yoka’s seventh opponent was Michael Wallisch, but Joe Joyce faced the German fighter during his 11th outing.

• Yoka’s ninth opponent was Christian Hammer, but Luis Ortiz faced the German fighter during his 32nd outing.

• Yoka’s tenth opponent was Joel Djeko, a fighter that hadn’t tasted defeat in five years.

• Yoka’s next opponent is Herve Hubeaux, a fight ordered by the EBU, but Oscar Rivas faced the Belgium fighter during his 24th outing.

It’s my understanding that the French government has imposed travel restrictions due to COVID-19, so bearing that in mind, which sort of fighters should Yoka realistically be facing right now?

Are there any prospects around Yoka’s age that have progressed as quickly as the Frenchman?

Tony Yoka might have turned pro almost four years ago, but he was suspended for one of them and probably lost another due to COVID-19.

Mr. Justification i should call you ... Yoka is French citizen and Olympic gold medalist. He can be very popular and make a lot of money ... He can do way better than these ..

Name them.

Any why do you praise Efe Ajagba recently facing Jonathan Rice during his fourteenth outing, but you're criticising Yoka for fighting the same man during his second pro bout?

Did you watch the fight Yoka and rice ?
Rice coming forward and on the attack against Yoka, and yoka couldn't KO him.
But Rice was running away or around against Efe, he didn't want to engage at all ,
and throwing some punchs only when efe was charging forward, which is very
dangerous for efe if he got caught on the way in.

Rice wasn't scared of Yoka, but he was fighting scared against Efe.

[Enlightened-One]

Mr. Justification i should call you ... Yoka is French citizen and Olympic gold medalist. He can be very popular and make a lot of money ... He can do way better than these ..

Name them.

Any why do you praise Efe Ajagba recently facing Jonathan Rice during his fourteenth outing, but you're criticising Yoka for fighting the same man during his second pro bout?

Did you watch the fight Yoka and rice ?
Rice coming forward and on the attack against Yoka, and yoka couldn't KO him.
But Rice was running away or around against Efe, he didn't want to engage at all ,
and throwing some punchs only when efe was charging forward, which is very
dangerous for efe if he got caught on the way in.

Rice wasn't scared of Yoka, but he was fighting scared against Efe.

You’re comparing someone’s 2nd pro bout (that took place 3½ years ago) to another fighters’ 14th outing (that took place only six months ago)!

But yeah, Efe Ajagba is really “fearsome”, he’s definitely earned his moniker as the Nigerian “Nightmare”.

[candyslim]

And finally, Yoka’s career has been hindered due to serving a suspension and also fight cards being cancelled in Europe due to COVID-19.

The suspension is in the past and Covid has affected the whole world. The fact remains that Herve Hubeaux poses no more threat to Yoka than Djeko did.

It's time to step it up Tony, you aren't getting any younger and you are merely treading water.

It seems we agree on most things, but it's important to note that Tony Yoka is still only 28 years of age, for sure his next birthday is very soon, but it's not as if he's over-the-hill.

Anyway, let's review Yoka's resume:

• Tony Yoka made his pro debut against an unbeaten 12-fight pro.

• Yoka fought Jonathan Rice in his second outing, but Efe Ajagba faced the same fighter only six months ago and was the Nigerian’s 14th opponent.

• Yoka’s third opponent was Ali Baghouz, but Martin Bakole fought the same guy during his tenth outing.

• Yoka’s fifth opponent was Dave Allen, but Luis Ortiz faced the Brit during his 27th outing.

• Yoka’s sixth opponent was Alexander Dimitrenko, but Andy Ruiz Jr. faced the German fighter during his 33rd outing.

• Yoka’s seventh opponent was Michael Wallisch, but Joe Joyce faced the German fighter during his 11th outing.

• Yoka’s ninth opponent was Christian Hammer, but Luis Ortiz faced the German fighter during his 32nd outing.

• Yoka’s tenth opponent was Joel Djeko, a fighter that hadn’t tasted defeat in five years.

• Yoka’s next opponent is Herve Hubeaux, a fight ordered by the EBU, but Oscar Rivas faced the Belgium fighter during his 24th outing.

It’s my understanding that the French government has imposed travel restrictions due to COVID-19, so bearing that in mind, which sort of fighters should Yoka realistically be facing right now?

Are there any prospects around Yoka’s age that have progressed as quickly as the Frenchman?

Tony Yoka might have turned pro almost four years ago, but he was suspended for one of them and probably lost another due to COVID-19.

I have posted on here several times that Yoka has some good wins on his record. My concern though is the level of opposition has reached a plateau and his progress is in danger of stalling. The same criticism can be levelled at Hrgovic.

They are not yet ageing fighters, neither are they in the first flush of youth. They need to be incrementally improving their standard of opposition if they are going to fulfil their potential and this goes for a few others too.

[bobcatbox]

Throw big baby and Yoka in there and Big Baby floors him. Calling it right now.

[JamesPhilips]

Throw big baby and Yoka in there and Big Baby floors him. Calling it right now.

I completely agree. When can Miller actually fight again?

[Enlightened-One]

Throw big baby and Yoka in there and Big Baby floors him. Calling it right now.

I completely agree. When can Miller actually fight again?

Miller has another year remaining, at least, of his two-year suspension.

And out of curiosity, how well does the CLEAN version of Jarrell Miller perform inside the ring, when you consider he would have been inactive for at least three years?

Without intending to be condescending, but I strongly suspect (even if they refuse to verbalise it) that most people would expect Yoka to beat Miller in those circumstances.

Let’s face it, you’ve probably never even seen a clean and rusty version of Jarrell Miller compete.

[bobcatbox]

Throw big baby and Yoka in there and Big Baby floors him. Calling it right now.

I completely agree. When can Miller actually fight again?

Miller has another year remaining, at least, of his two-year suspension.

And out of curiosity, how well does the CLEAN version of Jarrell Miller perform inside the ring, when you consider he would have been inactive for at least three years?

Without intending to be condescending, but I strongly suspect (even if they refuse to verbalise it) that most people would expect Yoka to beat Miller in those circumstances.

Let’s face it, you’ve probably never even seen a clean and rusty version of Jarrell Miller compete.

Hold up, fellas. I shoulda made myself clear. I was talking about THE REAL Big Baby.

Yoka vs Miller is intriguing. That oughta be Miller’s next fight. I have not, indeed, seen a clean version of the man fight. Haven’t seen him fight at all admittedly.

Jared Anderson whoops Yoka when they clash, and hopefully they will, down the road. That’s my prediction for when Yoka’s run at the top comes to a halt.

[JamesPhilips]

Throw big baby and Yoka in there and Big Baby floors him. Calling it right now.

I completely agree. When can Miller actually fight again?

Miller has another year remaining, at least, of his two-year suspension.

And out of curiosity, how well does the CLEAN version of Jarrell Miller perform inside the ring, when you consider he would have been inactive for at least three years?

Without intending to be condescending, but I strongly suspect (even if they refuse to verbalise it) that most people would expect Yoka to beat Miller in those circumstances.

Let’s face it, you’ve probably never even seen a clean and rusty version of Jarrell Miller compete.

Great points.

[JamesPhilips]

I completely agree. When can Miller actually fight again?

Miller has another year remaining, at least, of his two-year suspension.

And out of curiosity, how well does the CLEAN version of Jarrell Miller perform inside the ring, when you consider he would have been inactive for at least three years?

Without intending to be condescending, but I strongly suspect (even if they refuse to verbalise it) that most people would expect Yoka to beat Miller in those circumstances.

Let’s face it, you’ve probably never even seen a clean and rusty version of Jarrell Miller compete.

Hold up, fellas. I shoulda made myself clear. I was talking about THE REAL Big Baby.

Yoka vs Miller is intriguing. That oughta be Miller’s next fight. I have not, indeed, seen a clean version of the man fight. Haven’t seen him fight at all admittedly.

Jared Anderson whoops Yoka when they clash, and hopefully they will, down the road. That’s my prediction for when Yoka’s run at the top comes to a halt.

I had wondered that.

[Lackeos]

If he fights him sometime by July, then it's fine. I say that because fighting opponents of Djeko / Hubeaux caliber every 3-4 months is okay, but fighting that caliber once every 12 months would be awful. The time gaps between Duhaupas, Hammer, and Djeko have so far been pretty short, and that's good. Yoka is already good enough to be fighting top 15 opponents, but given that he only has 10 pro fights, he's probably looking to pad the numbers a bit and get it up to 20-0 before he goes hunting for a title. And, doing so, he should be fighting against opponents good enough to put-up some resistance and show him a few tricks.

Related fact: haters are always going to hate. They'll say anything hateful, even if it's logically inconsistent. They'll complain that Yoka should be fighting better opponents than Hubeaux. But, simultaneously, they'll be complaining that Yoka didn't dominate Djeko. ... Okay. If Yoka didn't dominate Djeko, then that completely absolves him of any criticism for selecting an opponent like Huveaux.

[margaret thatcher]

yokas white knight arrived.....ppl hate on him cuz he's french

[candyslim]

Yoka will clearly beat Hubeaux as he clearly beat Djeko. whether or not he dominated Djeko depends on your interpretation of the word 'dominate'. There was no doubt who was going to win and the same is already apparent with regard to the Hubeaux fight.

This isn't hating on Yoka, on the contrary I want both Yoka and Hrgovic (who is incidentally not French) and boxers in general to maximize the potential they possess.

To do this requires good matchmaking. You don't improve by fighting opponents on the same level of those you have beaten unless they are of different styles. Nor do you want to overextend yourself and get demoralized taking a beating from someone you weren't ready for. Ideally you want your next opponent to be a little better than your last, someone you can beat but who will present you with problems to overcome, give you experience to add to what you have already banked, and who will give you the opportunity to put into practice the lessons you have been taught from your previous fight(s). In my opinion Hubeaux does not meet the criteria, but he's not terrible by any means.

[funso banjo baby]

Really dislike yoka

Drug cheat and bully

Joyce has gone in deep from the very beginning of his pro career whereas Yoka just seems like a poor joke

He'd have wet himself at the prospect of taking on a puncher like dubois so soon in his career.

outside of his family, who would actually pay to watch a fight with hubeaux, one of the fullest fighters around?

[candyslim]

To be fair Joyce has had to move fast, he's five or six years older than Yoka.

Another good heavyweight who has left it late turning pro is Magomedrasul Medzhidov now going by the name (or should that be the spelling) of Mahammadrasul Majidov.

He's only had about three fights as a pro but he's lined up to face the returning Andrei Fedosov on the 17th April, who is a very stiff test for anyone's fourth professional fight.

Talking of heavyweight prospects from the east, I see that Russian Apti Davtaev is lined up to face an opponent who at least can boast a pulse in "Big Jack" Mulowayi. That's progress of sorts.

[margaret thatcher]

i saw apti fight once ---looked like a total stiff. i hope he's improved


fedosov is a nice step up for majidov. i hope maji steps up with every fight....maybe someone like zhang next if he can get it

[margaret thatcher]

and just like that, apti gets stopped by mulowayi, no surprise here

[candyslim]

Maybe just a mild one. Jack lost on points to Tony Yoka's next victim, Herve Hubeaux so I did think Davtaev would clear that hurdle. WTF do i know?

[candyslim]

Another good heavyweight who has left it late turning pro is Magomedrasul Medzhidov now going by the name (or should that be the spelling) of Mahammadrasul Majidov.

He's only had about three fights as a pro but he's lined up to face the returning Andrei Fedosov on the 17th April, who is a very stiff test for anyone's fourth professional fight.

Like I was saying ...

To be fair I did think Majidov was likely to win but I was aware there was a strong element of risk. That was some right hand

[margaret thatcher]

[Ruthless-RKO]

Herve Hubeaux (32-3) is fighting against David Spilmont (10-5) on May 1