At Roland Garros, Tony Yoka conceded his third defeat in the heavyweight category on Saturday evening against Belgian Ryad Mehry. A new failure which inevitably weighs down his ambitions to conquer the world belt for the Frenchman who now has 11 victories, including 9 before the limit, for three losses, on points.
In the ring, the Rio 2016 Olympic champion showed worrying helplessness and did not show any progress after being beaten in recent months by Martin Bakolé then Carlos Takam. Two setbacks which pushed him to surround himself with a new trainer, Don Charles.
Yoka spoke very briefly about the rest of his career at the Canal microphone after the fight he thought he had won. “There was so much pressure around this fight with a new coach and a new team. I told myself we were going to do enough to win and I really thought I had done enough. (…) There were so many changes… We were aiming for victory even if it wasn’t a very big victory, to move forward. I don’t even know what to say,” the champion murmured before letting go: “We’re going to talk with my team, I don’t think that’s the question to ask now.”
At 31 years old, Tony Yoka is still a young heavyweight since maturity in this category occurs around 35 years old. He still has one fight left to fight with Canal which could put an end to his engagement with the Frenchman, light years away from getting a chance for a world belt.
