REVITALISED TONY YOKA TARGETS ANTHONY JOSHUA FIGHT: 'I'M HERE, IT WOULD MAKE SENSE'
Tony Yoka insists that he is revitalised and ready to make a belated impression on the heavyweight division.
Between May 2022 and December 2023, the French heavyweight suffered three consecutive 10-round decision defeats to Martin Bakole, Carlos Takam and Ryad Merhy which saw his stock plummet.
Yoka (14-3, 11 KOs) took himself out of the spotlight, continued to work hard under his trainer Don Charles, and set about rebuilding his confidence.
He scored two low-profile wins but upped his level of competition in May and notched up a solid win over previously undefeated 16-0 Russian contender Arslan Yallyev.
His recent decision to sign with Queensberry Promotions - who currently hold most of the aces in the heavyweight division - will provide the 2016 Olympic gold medalist with plenty of opportunities to re-establish himself as a contender.
However, there are very few fighters on the planet who would reject the opportunity to take a big shortcut, accepting a fight with two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.
Despite his fifth-round knockout defeat by Daniel Dubois in September, the 36-year-old remains one of the sport's biggest draws.
Rumours about a potential Yoka-Joshua fight have begun to circulate since the 33-year-old's recent Queensberry deal was made official and that is a prospect that excites the eight-year pro.
"I mean, I heard some rumours about it," Yoka said during an interview with allegedly.
"I believe in my team. I believe in Queensberry, my manager and my coach to do the best fights for me. I'm not in any talks with him so I don't know what's going on.
"What I know is that I'm getting ready for anybody and after this big win, if they ask or propose me to fight Joshua, of course. That would be a great, great fight for me to take.
Yoka has been operating at levels far below Joshua - who won gold at the London 2012 Olympics - but has little time to waste.
Joshua's plans are still a mystery to all but his inner circle. A fight with Jake Paul seems to have become a distinct possibility whilst a long overdue fight with the retired two-time heavyweight champion Tyson Fury would still be an enormous event.
Yoka knows that Joshua has bigger goals in mind but if the Londoner decides he needs to sharpen his tools before embarking on a big 2026, Yoka is more than prepared to answer the call.
"There is a history behind it as two Olympic gold medalists. I think that's something that makes sense," he continued.
"I saw him fight some guys that I didn't even know. I think it was just before Otto Wallin he fought a guy, I don't know the guy [Joshua beat Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius]. I understand that he lost against Dubois last year. They might want to do something like Joshua-Fury or whatever.
"You want a fight before that, I'm here. You don't have to look like too far from there."
