In the den of French tennis, the Rio 2016 Olympic champion hopes to make a winning comeback, nine months after falling on points against Frenchman Carlos Takam, overwhelmed by the power of the 42-year-old veteran.
A setback which confirmed another setback, in May 2022, against the Congolese Martin Bakole, also winner on points, the first disillusionment of his project of “Conquest” towards the summit of world boxing.
Since the defeat against Takam, the 31-year-old boxer has changed everything: he left the United States to be closer to his family and is now training in the United Kingdom, in north London.
“I wanted to go back to being the Tony Yoka that I simply am”
The Frenchman has separated from his American coach Virgil Hunter and is now following the advice of Don Charles, the coach in particular of Daniel Dubois, who recently put world champion Oleksandr Usyk in difficulty.
“I can’t wait until Saturday to really show you everything we’ve worked on over the last few months,” he explained on Tuesday, during training open to the press.
“I wanted to return to being the Tony Yoka that I simply am, the one who is sharp, the one who has impact in his gloves, and the one who has the desire,” he added.
The Parisian claims to feel better, after several years spent partly away from his family during long training camps in the United States.
“There was no longer any interest for me, I didn’t see the interest in training, in doing everything I was doing,” he sums up now, when he got back into the ring.
Yoka’s rise halted by defeats
To come back and show that he has not reached his glass ceiling, despite these two defeats conceded when the level of competition rose, he will find facing him on Saturday evening an opponent who is a priori less formidable than the previous ones.
The Belgian Ryad Merhy, also 31 years old, who will compete in his third fight (one victory, one defeat) at heavyweight after a career at light heavyweight, will appear at Porte d’Auteuil.
The opportunity for Yoka to score a 12th victory (for two defeats) since his arrival in the pros?
“I know that my reach will allow me to better control this fight. But light heavyweights are often much faster than a natural heavyweight,” emphasizes Yoka, while his rival gives him 20 centimeters.
The Belgian presents himself without complexes, to “put a little pressure on Tony”.
“It’s not me who has the pressure on my shoulders during this fight. He’s the one who has two defeats in a row at home,” recalls Merhy.
But Yoka says he does not want to take his opponent lightly: “Ryad Merhy was a former WBA challenger. He has quite a track record. I don’t see how anyone could discredit this guy. He has a better professional career than me. »
Stuck at 28th in the world, the Frenchman has seen his rise come to a complete halt and has no other choice but to win, as he prepares to compete in the penultimate fight provided for in his exclusivity contract. with Canal+, launched with great fanfare after its Olympic coronation.
For his future and that of his career, two victories would not be too many, when negotiating with a new broadcaster. It starts Saturday evening, on the central court of Roland-Garros.
2023-12-09 07:10:00
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