Martin Bakole Bursts Tony Yoka’s Bubble in Paris

Martin Bakole scored a major upset in Paris today, out-pointing previously undefeated Tony Yoka in a 10-round affair that was originally set for January and pushed back by the pandemic. Although the scores were fairly close (96-92, 95-93, and a disgraceful 94-94), the reality is that Bakole was dominant from the get-go. Yoka, who edged by Filip Hrgovic and Joe Joyce to claim the gold medal for France in the super heavyweight class at the 2016 Rio Olympics, was undefeated (11-0) heading in, but couldn’t deal with Bakole’s physicality.

The six-foot-six Bakole, the brother of cruiserweight contender Ilunga Makabu, had Yoka on the canvas in the opening round and again in round five, although the second knockdown was of the nature of a slip. Between these two incidents he seemingly broke Yoka’s nose with a punch in round three. At times it bled profusely.

Bakole, a resident of Scotland by way of the Congo, pictured with Tyson Fury — he was in the Gypsy King’s training camp for Fury’s match with Dillian Whyte — scored his seventh straight victory after suffering a tenth-round stoppage at the hands of Michael Hunter.

Yoka, who had a long training camp in Las Vegas, was game although he slowed down in the final round. Bakole improved to 18-1 and set himself up for some good paydays.

Other Bouts

In his second pro fight, lanky five-foot-10 French lightweight Sofiane Oumiha turned away spunky Mevy Boufoudi, winning an 8-round decision. It was the second pro fight for the 27-year-old Oumiha, a decorated amateur whose highlights included an Olympic silver medal and a 6-0 mark in the semi-pro World Series of boxing.  It was the first pro loss for Boufoudi (8-1).

Christ Esabe, a 21-year-old Frenchman of Ugandan extraction, out-pointed Venezuela’s Sander Diaz in an 8-round lightweight contest. With his higher workrate, Esabe (12-0, 3 KOs) won every round on all three scorecards. Diaz falls to 13-9-1.

In the opener, super welterweight Victor Yoka, Tony Yoka’s brother, made his pro debut against Gurami Kurtanidze, a fighter from the Republic of Georgia. The contest was barely 90 seconds old when Kurtanidze (4-15-5) found a soft place to land.

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