He said yes. In a tweet posted this Thursday evening, Tony Yoka accepts the challenge thrown at him by the Croatian Filip Hrgovic: “Anyone, anytime, Anyplace (Editor’s note: anyone, anytime, anywhere) … You know me, I’ve never hidden myself, ”underlines the Olympic champion of the Rio Games. He does not quote the name of his unfortunate opponent in the semifinals of the 2016 Olympics but there is no need to read a long time between the lines to understand. Tony Yoka tells him “chick! “
“Apparently, Yoka wants the fight, had launched earlier in the day the English promoter Eddie Hearn on a British TV. I spoke regarding it with Top Rank (Editor’s note: the American promoters’ firm that manages Yoka’s US quarry). It’s a brilliant fight ahead. “
Six years following the Games, the two adversaries will therefore meet once more. As the Frenchman says, we do not yet know where and when. The winner of this duel, when it takes place, will become the official challenger to the IBF-WBA-WBO champion, the Ukrainian Alexandre Usyk. Or the Englishman Anthony Joshua, if the latter dethrones Usyk and takes revenge on him during a fight scheduled for April.
The last time the two men crossed paths, it was therefore in the semifinals of the Games which had crowned the Parisian. The French won narrowly, on points (two judges once morest one). A professional past too since Rio, Hrgovic has never admitted this Olympic setback. He’s been ruminating all this time and wants his revenge.
A fight in the United States?
In a message published this Tuesday evening on his social networks, Hrgovic had provoked the French Olympic champion: “A letter from the IBF will arrive at your place. Sign the contract, let’s do this fight, he almost orders Yoka. I’ve been waiting for this fight for a long time. A lot of people think I should have won the Olympic semi-final in 2016 and now it’s time for revenge. Tony Yoka, the ball is in your court. “
Yoka jumped at her. Now it is up to the promoters of the two camps to fix the place and date of the rematch. It might be in the United States where Yoka has dreamed of performing officially for so long.