Olympic gold medalist, Frenchman Tony Yoka, recently suffered another upset loss against battle-hardened countryman, Carlos Takam. Yoka lost by split-decision with two scores of 96-94 going in Takam’s favor, while the third score of the same 96-94 went in Yoka’s favor. Their non-title bout was held at the Accor Arena in Paris, France, on Saturday March 11.
Tony Yoka (11-2, 9 KO’s), who came heralded as the next Heavyweight champion after an illustrious amateur career that saw him become an Olympic champion in the (Super) Heavyweight division, drummed up even more interest after his debut pro in 2017 against the then-unbeaten, 12-0 American Travis Clarke, who he comfortably knocked out in the second round.
This Yoka now seems a far cry from the eager and fresh-faced youth nearly six years ago whose trend only seemed to curve upwards after beating the likes of Jonathan Rice (16-6-1, 11 KO’s) and David Allen (21-5-2, 18 KO’s) early in his career. This was belief was further perpetrated after Yoka dispatched the likes of Johann Duhaupas (39-7, 26 KO’s) and Christian Hammer (27-10, 17 KO’s) who in most cases were a struggle to beat by younger fighters who had fought nearly or more than twenty times already.
After losing to Martin Bakole (18-1, 13 KO’s) in May of 2022 in a bout that he was tipped to win on paper, Tony Yoka again lost last Saturday against a thoroughly experienced fighter in Carlos Takam (40-7-1, 28 KO’s) who he was expected to defeat. Instead, it was Yoka who was on the receiving end of a loss that seemed wider than the scorecards indicated.
In the bout that was scheduled for ten rounds, Yoka seemed too defensive and tentative to let his hands go while Takam continuously pressured the younger man. Though Takam wasn’t exactly dominating when it came to ring generalship, Yoka all too often found himself pushed back or against the ropes while looking to counter.
Yoka sought to use his height and reach to his advantage by keeping Takam at bay with his jab, but often failed to capitalize with his counterpunches on any sign of weakness or pain by the older Frenchman. Yoka showed a clear unwillingness to engage with Takam on the inside, but couldn’t truly establish himself on the outside as Takam kept cutting off the ring and chasing after Yoka.
As a result of Yoka’s rather passive stance, Takam took most of the rounds as he somehow kept his motor going like a relentless bulldozer. He wasn’t always effective, as Yoka did do his best to remain defensive whenever Takam closed in, but Takam proved mostly unstoppable throughout the course of the match. This was especially apparent when Takam landed his hooks which often forced Yoka to cover up without returning any fire himself.
With Yoka content to back up throughout the majority of the fight, Takam felt blood throughout virtually the entire bout which clearly didn’t do Yoka any favors when the match ultimately came to the scorecards. Tony Yoka only showed flashes of what he was capable of as he resigned himself to countering, as if he could get away with winning by stoppage or knockout through the few powerful shots that came through.
Despite the clear difference in youth, Takam seemed very much the fresher opponent with him often looking to close the fight through an underrated amount of combinations which Yoka barely seemed able to deal with. Just like with Bakole, Yoka looked to be resigned towards only defending himself rather than beating, or at least halting his opponent, by any means necessary.
After a rather disappointing performance by the Olympic champion, it was Carlos Takam who came out the winner by split-decision after two judges scored the fight in his favor. Tony Yoka suffered the second loss in a row after losing to Martin Bakole, and his career now seems to hang in the balance with him showing to be incapable of beating what many would consider a gatekeeper – a legitimate test for would-be contenders or high-ranked prospects – in boxing.
Tony Yoka, 30, seems to have declined as a boxer, not necessarily in his physical or technical abilities, but in his mentality. With his tendency to cover up and retreat rather than fight back, both Bakole and Takam have exploited a mental weakness. It is noticeable, however, that Yoka seems to have quite some resilience as he has never been knocked down, even after facing two fighters in a row who were known to be powerful punchers.
Trained by the well-experienced Virgil Hunter who has trained many world champions before – including Hall of Fame boxer Andre Ward, Tony Yoka was expected to beat the likes of Martin Bakole and Carlos Takam, but now finds himself close to rock bottom after his latest performance. Though he does possess a fair amount of skill as a Heavyweight, he seems to lack the motivation or mentality to put in the proper work ethic in fights, best evident by the way he sticks to a high guard which has often limited his punch output.
Despite being well built to defeat his opponents in a number of ways, Yoka has regressed somewhat as a professional. A change of coach – with Virgil Hunter having taken him under his wing since he first turned pro, Yoka might make the necessary improvements to change both his approach to boxing and the number of tools he can use.
Despite having seemed the complete fighter before turning professional, Yoka will now need to take a drastically change his course in life if he still hopes to have a worthwhile career. A change of coaches has often proved to greatly benefit a fighter, and Tony Yoka may need to take those steps to become worthy to be considered a contender again.
