Reconstruction continues. Tony Yoka will face German heavyweight Patrick Korte on December 21 in Lagos (Nigeria), the English promoter of the 2016 Rio Olympic champion announced on Sunday. The French boxer’s last fight (14 wins, 3 losses) dates back to May 17, when he defeated the Russian Arslan Yallyev on points at the Adidas Arena in Paris.
At 33, Yoka (2m01) then embarked on the path of reconstruction after three devastating defeats for the Rio champion – Martin Bakole in May 2022, Carlos Takam in March 2023 and Ryad Merhy in December 2023. He then kept a low profile, competing in two fights against weak opponents in England where he is now based.
“A very long tunnel”
“I am coming out of a very, very long tunnel. After the series of defeats, it was complicated. It’s hard to put into words, we had to get up,” he explained after his victory in Paris in May.
Aged 41, professional since 2015, “Big Patrick” Korte (1m90) has 23 victories for one draw and five defeats (all before the limit). In his last fight, in September, he dominated Serbian Dusko Vujicic. Three months earlier, he had lost in the second round to the Albanian Nelson Hysa for the title of WBO European heavyweight champion.
“My age is not an obstacle, but a source of motivation,” he said on his website before his September fight. “I feel ready and I will give everything in the ring,” he wrote on his Instagram account on Sunday.
