After the pomp and prestige of Paris, Tony Yoka rebuilds in the shadows

By John MacDonald

LAST night, the Paris 2024 Olympics commenced with an extravagant opening ceremony on the banks of the river Seine. Over the course of the next fortnight, a new generation of boxers will battle it out in the quest for gold.

For some, Olympic glory will be a launch-pad for a successful professional career, and a select few may be able to transcend the sport in the manner of past champions such as: Muhammad Ali, ‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard, Katie Taylor and Anthony Joshua.

However, reaching the pinnacle of the amateur boxing does not guarantee success in the paid ranks.

One man who is acutely aware of that fact is Tony Yoka (below).

You may expect that the Rio 2016 super-heavyweight Olympic champion would be front and centre as the Games take place in his home country. Instead, 24-hours after the impressive spectacle in Paris, viewed by millions; Yoka (11-3, 9 KOs) will be fighting in front of a few hundred people in Tolworth Recreation Centre.

It is a remarkable fall from grace for the man who headlined arenas in his homeland since his professional debut, but three consecutive defeats have forced ‘La Conquete’ to rebuild.

While there is no shame in losses to Martin Bakole, Carlos Takam, and Ryad Mehry, contenders of varying quality, expectations were higher for the Frenchman.

The most recent of those results came under the tutelage of Don Charles. While the trainer often pays the price for a poor performance, Yoka has opted to persist with the veteran coach, and has relocated to London.

Don Charles (Getty Images)

As such, it is perhaps unsurprising that the heavyweight is fighting on British shores, but it remains bizarre that he is appearing on such a low-profile bill, promoted by Blvckbox Global.

So how did an Olympic gold medallist end up boxing in a leisure centre?

“I know his agent, and I know the coach, Don Charles, very well,” Dean Whyte of Blvckbox Global explained to Boxing News. “There’s a few of Don Charles’ guys on [the card] and it was kind of inevitable.

“I went to visit Don at the house, spoke to him at length. Tony is making a comeback, going to get the cobwebs off, he’s going to have another run out and then they are going to get him back in the mix. He’s been out for a while and he’s coming off three back-to-back losses, but those are decent names he fought.

“[Yoka’s team] had great hopes for him and they want to reignite that and they feel that connection with Don Charles is the missing ingredient for his resurgence.”

As Whyte mentioned, it has been over seven months since the Frenchman last fought. Perhaps as a result, he has been matched conservatively, taking on Amine Boucetta (8-15, 0 KOs).

While the 32-year-old has solid wins over Christian Hammer and Johann Duhaupas, he never appeared as suited to the professional sport as he did in the amateur code.

It is possible that Don Charles could be able to guide Yoka to a higher level than he has previously achieved. Charles’ stock has never been higher having guided Daniel Dubois to the IBF heavyweight title.

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – DECEMBER 20: Daniel Dubois talks with his trainer Don Charles at ‘Day of Reckoning’ Media Workout at the Press Arena on December 20, 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

While a French Olympic gold medallist boxing in a recreation centre in Tolworth is unusual, the timing of the bout adds to the peculiarity.

On the same night, Joe Joyce battles Derek Chisora at the O2 Arena, on the other side of the city. Of course, it was ‘The Juggernaut’ who Yoka, controversially, defeated in Rio eight years ago. If another connection was needed, many of Chisora’s finest nights came while working with Charles.

Joyce himself is on the comeback trail, having suffered two defeats at the hands of Zhilei Zhang. Is the fact that both men are fighting in London on the same night simply a coincidence, or are Yoka and Joyce likely to meet in the ring, in the future?

“The stars have aligned,” Whyte said with a laugh, choosing to focus on the quality of the card as a whole, instead. “I’m happy we’ve got such a name on there. We are making our own progress; great card, great entertainment for the fans and people that come, and it’ll be a good night. It’s a pleasure to have him on and hopefully, people will appreciate him”

Whyte is determined to do things differently from other small-hall promoters, with a greater focus on value for money through more unconventional means.

“We want to grow grassroots boxing,” Whyte explained. “Hone the talent that we’ve got and maybe look to get them on to other platforms or get our own TV partner. I’m in it for the long-haul, we are going to do as much as we can.

“Sometimes, small-hall shows are a bit dreary, if you only come to support one guy, but we want to give bang for your buck. It’s hard in the climate we are in with the cost of living so we want to give people a good night with good music, good food, good fights.”

Only time will tell if both Yoka and Blvckbox Global will reach their respective lofty goals, but if nothing else, tonight’s card promises to be interesting.