Winner Friday night of Belgian Joel Tambwe Djeko, the Frenchman wants to rub shoulders with a boxer from the World Top 10 this year before aiming for the world title in 2022.
10 fights, 10 victories, a first European Union title obtained on Friday after his victory before the limit against the Belgian Joel Tambwe Djeko, all this at 28 years old: the long road to the conquest of a world title in the heavyweight continues without a hitch for Tony Yoka. “It’s nice, it’s the first belt in pro, to finally be able to mark the first stage of the conquest. It took a long time, but that was to be expected. As I said, he was going to play on his qualities, he is fast, he moves well, so obviously he was not going to try to have a showdown. He was going to move, try to try his luck from afar, ”rejoiced the Olympic champion of Rio 2016 after his victory in Nantes.
A Top 10 boxer in front of him in September
The Djeko page turned, the Frenchman has his eyes turned to the future with the stated ambition to take a real step forward in a few months after having made his hand in the heavyweight against less renowned opponents. Now challenger to Joe Joyce, a benchmark in the category he beat in the final in Rio, in 2016, Yoka could challenge the Englishman (12 fights and 12 wins including 11 by KO) that he did not however wish to designate Friday evening in Nantes. “I hope to make a top 10 in September. I am getting better and better. By September, I would like a world Top 10 to be able to move forward on the road to a world championship, ”added the French champion.
A global chance in 2022?
But Yoka sees even further. In his picture, he is already projecting himself beyond this perilous test which looms with, in sight, this world chance of which he dreams. “We say to ourselves that in 2022, we will form a world belt. If we make the top 10 in September, there is no reason why I cannot do a world championship next year, ”concluded the ambitious boxing leader in France.
