How far away it seems, the period when Tony Yoka seemed destined to become a reference in world boxing, and allow the relaunch in France of a discipline in decline… Saturday evening at Roland-Garros, the Rio Olympic champion in 2016 lost for the third time in a row against an a priori affordable opponent, the Belgian Ryad Merhy. Overtaken in all sectors, Yoka lost on points (2 judges at 1, 96-94, 94-96, 96-94) and now has 11 victories for three defeats among professionals.
The fight, which was supposed to be one of reconquest, turned into a fiasco. “That’s not the question to ask now,” however, replied the boxer, when asked on Canal+ about a possible retirement from sport at 31. The plans for world domination had already been badly damaged by the two previous defeats: in May 2022, during his first professional setback, against the Congolese Martin Bakole, largely dominant; last March against the French Carlos Takam, too powerful despite his 42 years. Yoka had each time lost on points, like Saturday in front of Merhy.
Coming without complexes with a great colony of supporters, the Belgian was offensive, taking advantage of the slightest opening to hurt. Much smaller than Yoka (2.01 m compared to 1.81 m), Mehry rushed into every gap left by the Olympic champion’s leaky guard. The Parisian suffered several devastating sequences, notably in the third and fourth rounds, well carried by the Brussels resident with enormous arms.
Changes for nothing
“I felt that he had doubts, that he was a little unwell, and little by little I gained confidence in my punches and my ability to move forward,” explained Merhy, who was only competing in his third fight with the heavyweights after a good career in the lower category.
The changes made by Yoka since his defeat against Takam have therefore not borne fruit: he left the United States to be closer to his family and is now training in the United Kingdom, in north London, under the orders of Don Charles, the trainer in particular of Daniel Dubois, who recently put world champion Oleksandr Usyk in difficulty.
Too timid, Yoka could only endure during the majority of the fight, under the eyes of the 2000 Olympic mid-flyweight champion Brahim Asloum and French rugby internationals Cameron Woki and Gaël Fickou. After this setback, the rest of his career was written in dotted lines.