New Queensberry heavyweight signing says Anthony Joshua fight "makes sense"

Tony Yoka vs Anthony Joshua "makes sense"

"It makes sense," said Frenchman Tony Yoka (14-3, 11 KOs) after his recent move to Queensberry Promotions when asked about a possible fight against Olympic heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs).

Joshua won the gold medal in London 2012 and the Frenchman was crowned champion in Rio 2016, but only one of them has lived up to expectations in professional boxing.

The Paris puncher has recently admitted that the fame and hype surrounding him impacted his training focus and development. A recent divorce also affected him in his personal and professional life.

After three straight losses, 33-year-old Yoka began working with British trainer Don Charles, who famously steered Daniel Dubois to the IBF world heavyweight title.

Since then, he has three wins on the spin, but only one over a serious opponent. Both fighters have reached a turning point, and in their eventual meeting, only the winner will be able to return to serious fights.

The Parisian commented on the prospect of fighting Anthony Joshua, "I have heard rumours about our fight myself. I believe in my team and my people; my coach and manager are doing everything possible for me. If I am offered to fight Joshua, I will definitely agree.

"It would be an interesting option. After all, the two Olympic champions have their own history, so it makes sense. He's dated guys in the past that I don't even know, so if he's looking for someone to turn to, he doesn't have to look far, I'm waiting here," Yoka said.

The Frenchman has also expressed interest in fighting Joe Joyce again to reignite their amateur rivalry.

Who is Tony Yoka?

Anthony Victor James Yoka was born April 28, 1992.

He has won gold medals at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games, 2015 World Championships, 2016 Rio Olympics.

He also has a 2010 Youth World Championships silver medal, 2014 EU Championships and 2015 European Games bronze.

He has notable scalps over Joseph Parker; Joe Joyce; Filip Hrgovic; Con Sheehan.

When he defeated Joe Joyce in the 2016 Olympic Games final, he won France its first-ever super-heavyweight gold medal in boxing.

On his professional debut in 2017, he took two rounds to knock out 12-0 American prospect Travis Clark in his home city of Paris.

Yoka moved up to 10-rounders in just his fourth bout.

He defeated Briton Dave Allen in his fifth fight in 2018, stopping 'The White Rhino' 43 seconds into the 10th round.

Tony won the European Union heavyweight title in 2021.

After reaching 11-0, Yoka lost his unbeaten record to Martin Bakole (MD) in 2022, then lost twice more in 2023 to Carlos Takam (SD) and Ryad Merhy (SD).

His nickname is 'La Conquete', which translates to 'The Conquest'.

He stands at 6'7" with an 82" reach.