BoxRec

tiny_acres wrote: ↑16 May 2022, 21:11

snake33 wrote: ↑16 May 2022, 21:06 Yoka is like de ja Audley all over again.

I predicted that Yoka would be the next Audley either on this forum or another and was told I was being to hard on the guy.
I still see him as a gatekeeper at best in his future

margaret thatcher wrote: ↑16 May 2022, 21:35 who should yoka fight next then? my guess is he might fight someone like wach if big mariusz hasnt reitred . fits the mold of the dimitrenko, duhapuas type -- formerly euro level dude past his best

would carlos takam still be too tough for tony?

margaret thatcher wrote: ↑09 Dec 2023, 18:42 3rd straight loss for yoka, this time to 2nd rung cruiser ryad merhy. the bakole fight mentally ruined him, so timid in there now

margaret thatcher wrote: ↑09 Dec 2023, 18:42 3rd straight loss for yoka, this time to 2nd rung cruiser ryad merhy. the bakole fight mentally ruined him, so timid in there now

margaret thatcher wrote: ↑09 Dec 2023, 18:42 3rd straight loss for yoka, this time to 2nd rung cruiser ryad merhy. the bakole fight mentally ruined him, so timid in there now

margaret thatcher wrote: ↑09 Dec 2023, 19:50 i only caught part of it but what i did see it was the same ssad sulky yoka from his last fight

SportsRatings wrote: ↑09 Dec 2023, 20:22 this is kind of disturbing actually

the HW division needs all the help it can get, we can't have our olympic golds falling so far so fast

Finkel wrote: ↑09 Dec 2023, 21:20

SportsRatings wrote: ↑09 Dec 2023, 20:22 this is kind of disturbing actually

the HW division needs all the help it can get, we can't have our olympic golds falling so far so fast

That Olympic gold is under a dark cloud though. The 2016 were so corrupt that the IOC threw AIBA out of Tokyo 202(1).

Yoka served a ban early in his pro career. There were rumours that one of his best wins, the one against Duhaupas, wasn't above board. And his follow-up UD against Hammer was a farse, where he may have lost if he didn't have home officiating advantage against a guy brought in to pad his resume. For me, that performance was a massive red flag as to his real level.

If this is the end of Yoka, after three back-to-back losses, I'm indifferent to it.

Though I wish BoxRec didn't still have him in the top 25

SportsRatings wrote: ↑09 Dec 2023, 20:22 this is kind of disturbing actually

the HW division needs all the help it can get, we can't have our olympic golds falling so far so fast

Enlightened-One wrote: ↑17 May 2022, 05:25 I really don’t know what to think about the Yoka upset.

On one hand, I considered Martin Bakole as being excessively overweight and I previously expected him to lose to Yoka (possibly even get stopped).

And my prediction for the outcome of this fight was obviously incorrect – upsets happen.

But then again, some people could reasonably claim that Martin Bakole was an “unbeaten” fighter, even though he technically lost to Michael Hunter, because it was the injury that caused the loss, not the American.

Hunter was hurt towards the end of the seventh round in that fight. And he also looked dishevelled and exhausted during the eighth, until Bakole badly injured his shoulder and wanted pulling-out, despite clearly owning the winning momentum.

Bakole’s trainer, Billy Nelson, was disgraceful and demanded he continue, which resulted in his man taking a beating before eventually being stopped.

Martin Bakole’s profile and reputation took a serious hit due to the Michael Hunter defeat, perhaps resulting in him being underappreciated and flying under the radar, hence the reason why I expected him to lose to Yoka.

But then again, when Tony Yoka accepted the Martin Bakole fight, he was clearly taking a massive step up in class, because he’d previously only engaged in eleven fights.

In the context of the Frenchman only being a prospect, he was being pushed fairly aggressively, because he’d previously beaten fairly decent opposition: Johann Duhaupas, Christian Hammer, Alexander Dimitrenko, Petar Milas, David Allen and Jonathan Rice.

But it was clear that none of them were anywhere near as good as Martin Bakole.

So perhaps it was simply a case of Tony Yoka being pushed excessively aggressively – too much, too soon. He can recover from this.

Put it this way, Tony Yoka and Martin Bakole both suffered losses in their twelfth outings against very decent opposition that were more experienced than themselves in the paid ranks, with the latter now on the cusp of receiving a world title shot.

I am reluctant to be harsh on Yoka, because the vast majority of heavyweight prospects are protected hype jobs that constantly face journeymen, but regardless as to whether you like him or loathe him, we definitely can’t say the same about the Frenchman.

gilgamesh wrote: ↑10 Dec 2023, 15:20

SportsRatings wrote: ↑09 Dec 2023, 20:22 this is kind of disturbing actually

the HW division needs all the help it can get, we can't have our olympic golds falling so far so fast

Has Yoka lost twice now as a Pro?

Cyclops wrote: ↑10 Dec 2023, 16:29

gilgamesh wrote: ↑10 Dec 2023, 15:20

SportsRatings wrote: ↑09 Dec 2023, 20:22 this is kind of disturbing actually

the HW division needs all the help it can get, we can't have our olympic golds falling so far so fast

Has Yoka lost twice now as a Pro?

3 times isn't it?

Lackeos wrote: ↑10 Dec 2023, 20:12 This is a shocking amount of wheels falling off. Reminiscent of how badly Adam Kownacki's career tanked. This dude is turning into the new Fraudley Harrison. Honestly frustrating, as he was, at one point, the intuitive pick to be the next elite heavyweight champion after the passing of the Anthony Joshua age group. Now I guess it's looking like Dubois, Ajagba, Jared, Huni, and Jalolov are in the mix for possibly getting the crown next.