The Frenchman Tony Yoka successfully continued his reconstruction effort by beating the German Patrick Korte by knockout in the first round on Sunday December 21 in Lagos. Taking a back seat – his fight was not the headliner of the evening – the 33-year-old boxer picked off Korte (41) with an electric right uppercut at the end of the first round which he had until then dominated. The record of the French heavyweight, who had already shaken the German a few dozen seconds before with a powerful left hook, is now 15 victories (including 12 before the limit) against 3 defeats. Unanimous points winner over Russian Arslan Yallyev last May, Yoka won his second victory since the start of a year that was supposed to take him back to the top after years of wandering. Three devastating defeats against Martin Bakole in May 2022, Carlos Takam in March 2023 and Ryad Merhy in December 2023 had put a serious damper on the Parisian’s professional career. Falling very low when the best future seemed promised to him among the “pros” in the wake of his Olympic exploits, Yoka had after these setbacks kept a low profile, competing in two fights against weak stooges in England where he is now based. With this new and spectacular victory, an early Christmas present, Tony Yoka can dream again.
