BoxRec

The fight is not yet featured on boxrec, but the broadcaster Canal + has announced that there will be a heavyweight bout between Tony Yoka (13-3) and Arslan Yallyev (16-0) in Paris next week. The arena also offers tickets for sale so ut seems it is really happening next week
https://www.canalplus.com/sport/poids-l ... 7232_50001
https://www.adidasarena.com/programmati ... llyev--860

Yoka had a contract with french TV Channel Canal + who promoted him after he turned pro following his gold medal in the Rio Olympics in 2016. After 11 wins against OK opponents (winning over Johnny Rice, Dave Allen, Alexander Dimitrenko, Johan Duhaupas and Christian Hammer in his first 10 pro fights is not that bad) but not going very fast (one year without fighting due to troubles with anti-doping rules, one year without boxing during Covid pandemic so only 11 fights in nearly 5 years), Yoka has lost three fights in a row (against Bakole, Takam and Merhy). He has registered two wins against lower opposition under UK promoters (fights not televised not to break the deal with Canal +). This time he is back on TV for the last fight of his contract with Canal +. Since he didn't achieved what the promoter/channel expected (he was nicknamed "La Conquête" because he was expected to conquer a heavyweight world title, and at the moment he is very far from it, down under the 50th rank on boxrec), it is obvious there will not be an extra contract signed between them, so this is the last fight of Yoka on Canal +.

Yallyev is not very famous but ha has a got resume, and it will be an interesting fight. No ideas about the rest of the card, but in his last fights in Paris, Yoka had his brothers fighting in the undercard.

I think Yallyev wins this. Yoka has been awful since his drugs ban....

joshj909 wrote: ↑10 May 2025, 07:49 I think Yallyev wins this. Yoka has been awful since his drugs ban....

Yoka signed with Fwank last year, I wonder what happened to that.

The contract with Canal+ was for 15 fights. After 11 wins and 3 loss, Yoka had one remaining mandatory fight to do with Canal+ promoter. Before he can do TV fights with another one (Warren or else) he had to do this last one. He managed to do two untelevised fights, but he had to do one fight for Canal+.

They had a hard time finding an opponent, Yoka is not ranked well enough to be interesting for many top fighters (Joyce, Hrgovic), and since Yoka is the main event of the cards he does for Canal+, it couldn't be just a journeyman (a fight against a guy like Boucetta wouldn't sell for the Arena and wouldn't do good on TV ratings). A few names waere considered (Kadiru...) but in the end thay managed to find Yallyev. I think Yoka can do better than what he showed against Takam and Merhy (he was really bad, and I was in the arenas to watch the fights, not just on TV), but I think he is not a huge favourite in here, a close fight that will be won also in the mental qualities, and I am not sure he is the best in that domain.

Hard to see where Yoka goes next if he manages to win this. Yallyev is an unknown quantity (his best wins are probably Ramirez and Bracamonte) but he looks to be operating at a much higher level than Yoka’s last two opponents. This has career ending defeat written all over it for Tony Yoka…

Fight has finally been added on boxrec schedule, merely 48 hours before the event.

Undercard is correct, with Axel Yoka (brother of Tony) doing his second pro fight against a journeyman, unbeaten Voldy Toutin doing his 7th pro fight against a good french boxer (ranked #108 in cruiser) and Milan Prat fighting a colombian boxer ranked in Top 100 in super welter.

Last fight added, a promising 6 rounds fight between two unbeaten french fighter (fight is ranked 2 stars on boxrec), but it is clearly a way to promote Clement Saumon (3-0), since his opponent is 2-0, but his previous fights on pro were in 2019.

Saumon wins by UD against Mayemba (60-54, 59-55, 59-55). Good fight after a first round very boring. Had it more close (had it 57-57, with Saumon slightly ahead since it is a minor challenge that needed a winner).

On the undercard Axel Yoka had won against Kevin Bertogal by UD.

Another impressive win by Voldy Toutin, who knocks out Karkour in the second round, and Karkour was badly touched, he is okay now but was still treated by medics several minutes after the end of the fight.

Good win for Milan Prat against Placido Ramirez, with a KO in round 5. So far the boxers expected to win did the job, now the only one remaining is Tony Yoka. This is also the one with the most difficult opponent, not sure at all Yoka will win. But we'll see.

Both Yoka and Yallyev landing flush punches.

Neither is showing good defense, but who has the better chin?

Yoka's nose is bleeding.

Punch stats have Yoka landing more in the first four rounds, but since then he is not as good, tired or still marked by an uppercut he eceived in round 5. Anyway he looks much better than the fights against Takam and Merhy, at least he is fighting and doing his best.

I have it 96-94 for Yoka, but I am rating generously since Yoka is at home and have been granted generous cards in his previous fights (MD against Bakole, SD against Takam and Merhy while he was clearly outboxed at least for the first two)

Tony Yoka wins by Unanimous Decision (96-94, 97-93, 98-92). He is clearly better than in 2022-2023, but since his contract with TV Channel Canal+ is now over, I don't know where it willl lead him. But he is back in the game and will surely do other fights when he can, and he is still well ranked (he was #55 before the fight, and Yallyev was #38 so Yoka will be in top 50 for sure, probably upper). We'll see if he can do a couple fights against top fighters (I am not saying championship belts, and not saying he will win if he face great adversity, but at least he will have opportunities again).

Does that mean his contract with fwank starts?

Surely we can squeeze in yoka vs Joyce… a fight that should of happened 5 + years ago…

Yoka’s early professional record wasn’t bad. GeoGuessr Free He racked up 11 wins against decent opposition. Victories over fighters like Johnny Rice, Dave Allen, and Alexander Dimitrenko showed he had potential. But a lack of momentum due to a one-year anti-doping suspension and another year lost during the COVID-19 pandemic severely stalled his career. Eleven fights in nearly five years just wasn’t enough to maintain interest or build serious momentum.

1687698 wrote: ↑02 Jun 2025, 23:22 Yoka’s early professional record wasn’t bad. GeoGuessr Free He racked up 11 wins against decent opposition. Victories over fighters like Johnny Rice, Dave Allen, and Alexander Dimitrenko showed he had potential. But a lack of momentum due to a one-year anti-doping suspension and another year lost during the COVID-19 pandemic severely stalled his career. Eleven fights in nearly five years just wasn’t enough to maintain interest or build serious momentum.