Finally a famous opponent for Yoka?

After his fight against Martin Bacol was postponed due to health reasons, French boxer Toni Joka received an offer from the International Football Association to fight Croatian Filip Hargović. If he accepts the 2016 Olympic champion, the winner of this duel can become the official contender for Oleksandr Usyk, IBF heavyweight champion, and Tariq Anthony Joshua.

Finally, good news for Tony Yuka. For the French boxer, 2021 ended with a big bump: his fight against Martin Bacol, scheduled for January 15 at the Accor-Arena in Paris, was postponed due to the health crisis. “Honestly, I’m not angry, it just disgusts me,” Tony Yuka whispered, heartily, into the columns. the team. But the Olympic champion in Rio may finally be back in the ring sooner than expected. Not against Martin Bakol but against Philip Hergovic, an opponent supposedly stronger than the Congolese.

Yoka has until Monday to respond

After several of the Croatian’s opponents withdrew, the International Football Association (IBF) has submitted a request to the yucca camp for a fight against the Croat, boxing specialist Jan-Philippe Lustik noted on Friday at the Super Moscato show on RMC. International Boxing Federation No. 3 Herjović has had to deal with a defection of boxers from the 4th and 5th IBF: former New Zealand WBO world champion Joseph Parker and Luis Ortiz, the latest winner by Charles Martin.

While Tony Yoka is ranked 20th in heavyweight for BoxRec, he is sixth in the IBF. So he had to propose to the Federation to challenge the Croatian. The winner of this fight, if any, will become the official rival of the FIFA champion, Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk. But we’re still a long way from the Yuka-Usik shock. Indeed, because Jukka has not yet given his answer to confront Hergovic. He has until Monday to do so. Then because if he accepts, he must beat a formidable boxer hitting hard. Last but not least because winner Anthony Joshua has a clause to take revenge on the England superstar. It is not at all clear whether the Ukrainian agrees to defy the French.

But for Yuka, this is a great opportunity. The two boxers are both 29 years old and know each other very well. They clashed twice. Tony Yoka has won every time, for the first time in 2015 in the quarter-finals of the World Championships in Qatar. He was already in the semi-finals of the Rio 2016 Olympics even if the Croatian caused him a lot of trouble. Filip Hergovic has had 14 professional fights (14 wins including 12 victories by KO) versus 11 fights by Tony Yuka (no defeat).