2016 Olympic gold medalist, Tony Yoka (10-0 7, KO’s), took on former cruiserweight boxer Joel Tambwe Djeko (17-2-1, 8 KO’s) on March 5 in a heavyweight bout. Both fighters entered the ring with something to prove. Djeko wanted to prove he was worthy of being in the heavyweight division, while Yoka was attempting to prove that he is worth a top fifteen matchup. Yoka’s tenth fight did just that, while Djeko struggled to perform against the better boxer.
Throughout the fight, Yoka was able to put tremendous pressure on Djeko, keeping him almost exclusively on the ropes. In Dkejo’s previous fights, he has used the strategy of willingly backing into the ropes and inviting his opponents inside. That might have worked at cruiserweight, but Djeko quickly learned that such a strategy wouldn’t work against a puncher like Yoka. Djeko was able to consistently produce offensive exchanges, but very little was gained from those exchanges. Instead, Djeko spent most of his time in the fight with his back against the ropes trying to avoid the flurries of punches coming his way.
Yoka performed extremely well. He emulated retired heavyweight Andre Ward with his stellar 1-2-1combinations and his intense physical and mental pressure. Yoka sustained total ring control throughout the twelve-round bout and finished the fight in the last round. After trapping Djeko in the corner, as he had already done many times in the earlier rounds, Yoka punished the former cruiserweight with a flurry of hard punches until Djeko turned his back and said he’d had enough.
Yoka has been vying for a fight with a top fifteen heavyweight, and he may have proved his worth in this fight. With his tenth win under his belt, Yoka took to the microphone in his post-fight interview and mentioned several names, including Joe Joyce (12-0, 11 KO’s), who was a rival of Yoka’s at the amateur level. All-in-all, this was an impressive win for Yoka. He dominated the fight against a tough opponent. It seems that Yoka has proven that he deserves a shot at a high-level opponent, and if he gets what he wants, Joe Joyce will be the next name on Tony Yoka’s road to the title.
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