Tony Yoka’s big World Championship opportunity has been put on hold for now. An injury has prevented him from facing Murat Gassiev in Moscow.
Setback for Tony Yoka: The French heavyweight has been forced to pull out of his scheduled world title fight against WBA world champion Murat Gassiev on July 11 in Moscow due to injury. According to several media reports, a back injury has forced the 2016 Rio Olympic champion to withdraw. This dashes Yoka’s chance to become the first French professional heavyweight world champion. The 33-year-old had earned the biggest opportunity of his career so far with his bout against Gassiev.
For Murat Gassiev, too, the cancellation is a bitter setback. The former unified cruiserweight world champion was set to defend his WBA heavyweight title for the first time, a title he had secured last December with a knockout victory over Kubrat Pulev. Following Oleksandr Usyk’s relinquishment of the title, the Russian was recently elevated to the status of regular WBA world champion.
Despite Yoka’s withdrawal, the event in Moscow is set to take place as planned. The organizers are already working around the clock to find a replacement opponent for Gassiev. As things stand, the fight will not be postponed. Yoka is expected to be sidelined for only two to three weeks. “The event is set to take place as planned. A replacement opponent for Gassiev is currently being sought,” reports boxing journalist Dan Rafael. Among others, Joe Joyce’s name has already been mentioned as a potential replacement opponent.
Text by Robin Josten