Tony Yoka To Make United States Debut March 14!!!
On February 21, French Heavyweight prospect Tony Yoka (7-0, 6 KOs) announced that he will return to the ring March 14. He will fight at MSG in New York City on the undercard of Shakur Stevenson’s WBO world Featherweight title defense against Miguel Marriaga. The card will air on ESPN.
This will be the United States debut for Yoka. He recently signed a promotional deal with Bob Arum and Top Rank. This spells the next progression in his career and a signal he’s ready to take it to the next level.
The 2016 Olympic gold medalist is often left out of the discussion when it comes to the future of the heavyweight division. Part of the reason for that is his own doing. Yoka was suspended from July 2018 to July 2019 by the French Anti-Doping Agency after missing a number of drug tests in 2016 and 2017.
RETURN TO CONQUER
Now back from suspension, he is essentially at a reboot stage of his career. Linking up with Top Rank is crucial from a promotional and marketing standpoint. When it comes to the fighter who calls himself “La Conquete” (The Conquest in English), the talent is obvious. The problem is the lack of exposure. For him to achieve his ultimate goal of becoming a world heavyweight champion, he has to leave the comforts of France. He must hook up with a prominent promoter.
And from a fan’s perspective, it’s always good to see possibly the next big thing. While it’s unknown at this time who Yoka’s opponent will be, the fact that his US debut is on the undercard of Stevenson – Marriaga means there’s a high probability it will be aired live on ESPN. As always, stay tuned to 3KingsBoxing for further developments as they become available.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
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