Tony Yoka vs. Petar Milas | ESPN+ - September 10, 2021

[Ruthless-RKO]

Hugo Micallef Inks Pact With Top Rank, Pro Debut on September 10

Hugo Micallef, who notched more than 100 amateur victories while representing his homeland of the Principality of Monaco in tournaments worldwide, has signed a multi-year promotional contract with Top Rank. Micallef, from Monte Carlo, will make his pro debut Friday, Sept. 10 in Paris on the undercard of heavyweight contender Tony Yoka’s homecoming bout against fellow unbeaten Petar Milas (streaming live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+).

Micallef will turn pro as a junior welterweight with head trainer Carlos Formento, who has worked with former welterweight world champion Kell Brook and junior welterweight contender Anthony Yigit.

“Hugo has everything it takes to be a superstar in the sport,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “His amateur pedigree is extensive, and I believe he’ll usher in a generation of pro boxing in the Principality of Monaco.”

Micallef said, “It’s a tremendous honor to be signed by the best promotional company in the business. I have dreamed of this moment. I’m ready for the start of my professional journey, and I hope to one day bring a world title back home to Monaco.”

Added Micallef’s manager, Karim Bouzidi of Versus Sports Management: “We at Versus Sports Management are delighted to support Hugo in his choice to sign with Top Rank, and we believe he will one day join Top Rank’s long and illustrious list of world champions.”

Micallef, who had aspirations of becoming the first Olympic boxer from the Principality of Monaco, now sets his sights on becoming the first boxer from his country to win a professional world title. He helped break the glass ceiling for Monegasque boxing at the world amateur level and counts Albert II, Prince of Monaco among his supporters.

Micallef turned heads last fall at the Boxam Elite International Boxing Tournament in Spain, toppling U.S. amateur star Delante Johnson en route to a silver medal. He last fought at the European Olympic Boxing qualifiers in Paris, falling in the Round of 16 to British superstar — and eventual tournament gold medalist — Pat McCormack, who will fight in his second Olympic Games in Tokyo.

[Ruthless-RKO]

One fight a year for these 2 is disgraceful.

Yoka had a pretty good pandemic. Milas not so much.

Hopefully the winner gets a move on after this.

Has Milas got a chance here?

[Ruthless-RKO]

One fight a year for these 2 is disgraceful.

Yoka had a pretty good pandemic. Milas not so much.

[gregregegg]

I think Yoka is a decent favourite and should win rounds fairly convincingly, especialy with milas lack of activity. But milas is a big strong guy, looks like he would be sturdy and can whack... Yoka has a weird rep for being chinny, so if thats true and milas lands who knows, could defiantly chin him or at least knock him down.

[margaret thatcher]

yoka was brutally sparked by erislandy savon as an am, and also ko'd by ali demerizen in wsb, though that was a stamina issue too. that's where the chin rep comes from. also has that pencil neck look

[funso banjo baby]

I would much prefer Yoka was taken out of his little protective sack of amniotic fluid....flushed clean of steroids...

And rematched with big Jonny Rice over TEN rounds !!!!!

[Ruthless-RKO]

Fight week!

[DrDuke]

A good matchup. Possibly it's the biggest test for Yoka. The biggest for Milas definitely.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Tony Yoka claims he’s being avoided, seeks big knockout over Petar Milas

Rising French heavyweight Tony Yoka will face the unbeaten Petar Milas in a scheduled 10-round contest at Roland Garros in Paris on Friday.

Yoka, who is a star in his homeland after winning gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, knows that he has a target on his back.

“It’s a big chance for [Milas], a big step up,” Yoka (10-0, 8 knockouts) told The Ring. “He’s a very good boxer, he’s got pretty good skills for a heavyweight; he switches from southpaw to orthodox. He’s not a big puncher but he puts his punches together well. [Victory] will put me in a good place.”

This will be the popular 29-year-old’s first fight since a middling performance against Joel Djeko in March, though he feels that there were mitigating circumstances.

“It was a short camp for Djeko,” revealed Yoka, who scored a 12th-round stoppage. “I spent a year in France, away from the U.S., and I wasn’t able to train with my coach. The fight wasn’t that good but I controlled the fight and got the win.

“Since then, I went back to [Hayward, California, in] the U.S.A. with [Virgil] Hunter and have progressed and feel better now.”

“La Conquete” intends to make a statement by sending his fans home happy.

“A big knockout, this is what everyone wants at heavyweight,” said Yoka, who expects a 14,000 sell-out at the famous tennis arena. “I know I’ve got skill, I’m very fast and now I know how to put power into it – it’s a good combination.”

Yoka is in a hurry to face the best heavyweights around and isn’t shy about saying so, with one particular old rival topping his hit list.

“I can’t wait to step up, I’m a little bit sick of these fights, I really want to fight someone in the top 10,” he stated sternly. “I want to fight [Olympic final opponent Joe] Joyce. A few months ago I said I’d like to fight [Joyce] and we started discussions about it, then he chose [Carlos] Takam, who everybody knew he’d beat.

“He said he doesn’t want to fight me because he wants a title shot. He’s waiting on [Anthony] Joshua. Everybody knows if Joshua beats [Oleksandr] Usyk, Joshua will fight [Tyson] Fury, and they will fight at least twice. They don’t have time for him, so you have time for me, stop hiding – let’s do it.

“I’m sick of fighting guys behind me, I want to fight top level guys. I’m ready for anyone. The top 3, 4, will not fight me until I’m in a good position. The guys who are around me in the rankings don’t want to fight me: Joyce, [Dillian] Whyte – all of those guys. I want to fight everybody.”

Milas (15-0, 11 KOs) turned professional in 2015. The 26-year-old Croatian has campaigned mainly in the shadow of his more celebrated countryman Filip Hrgovic, however, he became only the second man – after Anthony Joshua – to stop teak-tough Kevin Johnson (TKO 8) and also owns a win over Francesco Pianeta (UD 10). He appears to be a good opponent, but 23 months of inactivity isn’t ideal preparation for the biggest fight of his life.

[cormack]

yoka will surely stop milas but frankly it doesnt really help his career , he is caught between fights like this and gobbing to fight AJ LOL !
he needs to beat some known HW`s at the gatekeeper level before he gets a title fight .

[Ruthless-RKO]

ESPN+ will be showing this..

Event start times are below:

PT: 10am
ET: 1pm
London: 6pm
Paris: 7pm

Main event will likely be a couple hours after start date.

[gregregegg]

Good to see espn+ have it, means there might be a stream available in aus.

This is honestly one of my favourite fights coming up, I just hope milas has been in the gym enough. He was a solid young prospect and and doubtable whacks, if he has been getting/giving good sparing over the last 2 years and turns up in shape then he is a real live dog here.

Don’t know if yoka can afford to take to many on the chin from milas. Yoka is definatly a better “boxer” but if milas initiates trades,, even if he takes 2 to get 1 yoka is in for the hardest fight of his career.

(All this said if milas just has spent 2 years just being a dad, then good for him in life, but this fight could be grim)

fornicate this is a good fight. Need more of them, AGrade prospect vs B grade prospect. A grade gets there biggest test, b grade gets the chance to become A grade… (bit like Gorman vs DDD although I don’t expect as one sided a thrashing here)

[KiwiRider]

yoka will surely stop milas but frankly it doesnt really help his career , he is caught between fights like this and gobbing to fight AJ LOL !
he needs to beat some known HW`s at the gatekeeper level before he gets a title fight .

Oh man, that is cringeworthy alright.
8-0 and fought journeymen, and now he wants AJ

[Betro09]

Ali Eren Demirezen put Yoka in a sleep-walking condition. Was fun to watch. He aint nothing. He gonna explode in first real match.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Press Release | Card Information

Heavyweight contender Tony Yoka, the Paris native who won Olympic gold for France in 2016, returns home for a historic night at the fights. Yoka will face fellow unbeaten Peter Milas in a 10-rounder this Friday, Sept. 10 at Roland Garros, site of the French Open. This marks the first boxing event to take place at the famed tennis venue since 1973.

Yoka-Milas will headline a scheduled three-fight card streaming live and exclusively in the United States on ESPN+ starting at 2:45 p.m. ET/11:45 a.m. PT. Top Rank-signed prospect Hugo “The Fresh Prince of Monaco" Micallef will make his pro debut on the card in a four-round welterweight bout against Ezequiel Gregores (2-2, 0 KOs). Highlights of Micallef’s fight will be shown on the stream.

Yoka (10-0, 8 KOs) turned pro in April 2017 and stepped up early with wins over the likes of Jonnie Rice, David Allen and former European champion Alexander Dimitrenko. He went 2-0 in 2020, including a first-round knockout over former world title challenger Johann Duhaupas. Yoka made his 2021 debut in March and knocked out Belgian native Joel Tambwe Djeko to pick up the European Union title. Milas (15-0, 11 KOs), from Split, Croatia, has fought most of his pro career in Germany. He’s picked up standout victories over durable spoiler Kevin “Kingpin” Johnson and former world title challenger Francesco Pianeta.

In other action streaming on ESPN+:

In a 12-round tilt for the vacant European Union light heavyweight title, former world title challenger Igor Mikhalkin (24-2, 11 KOs) looks to extend his winning streak to four against French 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Mathieu Bauderlique (20-1, 11 KOs). Bauderlique has won eight straight fights since a shocking first-round knockout loss.

Souleymane Cissokho (13-0, 8 KOs), who earned a bronze medal for France at the 2016 Rio Olympics, will make the first defense of his WBA Intercontinental super welterweight strap against Russian veteran Ismail Iliev (13-2-1, 3 KOs). Cissokho won the belt in May with a split decision over Kieron Conway on the Canelo Alvarez-Billy Joe Saunders undercard.

[Enlightened-One]

“I’m sick of fighting guys behind me, I want to fight top level guys. I’m ready for anyone. The top 3, 4, will not fight me until I’m in a good position. The guys who are around me in the rankings don’t want to fight me: Joyce, [Dillian] Whyte – all of those guys. I want to fight everybody.”

Tony Yoka aligned himself with Top Rank last year.

If he wanted to face world-rated fighters aligned with rival promoters/networks, then he shouldn't have signed with Top Rank.

If we review the careers of Gilberto Ramírez and Terence Crawford, it's clear that it's rare for Top Rank to work with their rivals.

Any fighter that prioritises money over legacy, by signing a deal with Top Rank, is not entitled to complain about the lack of opportunities to face their big-name rivals residing at the opposite side of the street!

[gregregegg]

“I’m sick of fighting guys behind me, I want to fight top level guys. I’m ready for anyone. The top 3, 4, will not fight me until I’m in a good position. The guys who are around me in the rankings don’t want to fight me: Joyce, [Dillian] Whyte – all of those guys. I want to fight everybody.”

Tony Yoka aligned himself with Top Rank last year.

If he wanted to face world-rated fighters aligned with rival promoters/networks, then he shouldn't have signed with Top Rank.

If we review the careers of Gilberto Ramírez and Terence Crawford, it's clear that it's rare for Top Rank to work with their rivals.

Any fighter that prioritises money over legacy, by signing a deal with Top Rank, is not entitled to complain about the lack of opportunities to face their big-name rivals residing at the opposite side of the street!

Agree, if he gets through this he needs to relentlessly call out Rivas and efe … and I guess mabey next time fury fight he could try fight joyce on the undercard through the frank-fury-bob conection, but it’s a stretch.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Tony Yoka 238.8lbs/108.3kg vs Petar Milas 222.3lbs/100.8kg

[Enlightened-One]

I’ve got to give Tony Yoka credit, he’ very disciplined with his weight. It rarely fluctuates more than a couple of pounds. He’s been competing around the 240lbs mark since he made his pro debut four years ago.

And you compare the Frenchman’s stats to other heavyweight prospects around the same age, such as Filip Hrgovic, Frank Sanchez and Jared Anderson, who inexplicably keep getting heavier, which probably makes them slower and also less capable of competing at a fast pace for twelve rounds.

[joshj909]

I’ve got to give Tony Yoka credit, he’ very disciplined with his weight. It rarely fluctuates more than a couple of pounds. He’s been competing around the 240lbs mark since he made his pro debut four years ago.

And you compare the Frenchman’s stats to other heavyweight prospects around the same age, such as Filip Hrgovic, Frank Sanchez and Jared Anderson, who inexplicably keep getting heavier, which probably makes them slower and also less capable of competing at a fast pace for twelve rounds.

He has more time to count calories when he's avoiding drug tests

[Ruthless-RKO]

I’ve got to give Tony Yoka credit, he’ very disciplined with his weight. It rarely fluctuates more than a couple of pounds. He’s been competing around the 240lbs mark since he made his pro debut four years ago.

And you compare the Frenchman’s stats to other heavyweight prospects around the same age, such as Filip Hrgovic, Frank Sanchez and Jared Anderson, who inexplicably keep getting heavier, which probably makes them slower and also less capable of competing at a fast pace for twelve rounds.

He's an athlete.

Not very many HW's can call themselves that..

[Ruthless-RKO]

Streaming live and exclusively in the United States on ESPN+.

Starting at 2:45 pm ET | 11:45 am PT | 8:45 pm LOCAL

Main Card

10 Round Heavyweight Bout
Tony Yoka vs. Petar Milas

Super Lightweight Bout
Hugo Micallef vs. Ezequiel Gregores

Vacant European Light Heavyweight Championship
Igor Mikhalkin vs. Mathieu Bauderlique

WBA Intercontinental Super Welterweight Championship
Souleymane Cissokho vs. Ismail Iliev

[DrDuke]

Sirenko KTFOed Ustinov in the 1st.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Sirenko KTFOed Ustinov in the 1st.

Ustinov is crap

[Ruthless-RKO]

Main event should be the next fight.