05/17/2022 10:18 am | UPDATED ON 05/18/2022 AT 06:16
Present on Saturday evening at the AccorArena to watch Tony Yoka’s fight, beaten on points by Martin Bakole, Souleymane Cissokho then revealed that the Rio Olympic champion did not fracture his nose during the fight but earlier during the fight. a workout.
This will of course in no way excuse the defeat of Tony Yoka (on points by split decision) against Martin Bakole on Saturday evening for the big debut of the “Artist” at the AccorArena. The loser did not use it as a pretext after the fact when analyzing his first setback in twelve fights since his time as a professional (with eleven victories, Yoka was still undefeated before entering the ring of Bercy Saturday). However, we now know that the Olympic champion of the Rio Games in 2016 played this twelfth episode of “La Conquête” with a broken nose. Many thought when they saw the Francilien with a bloody nose from the first rounds on Saturday that it was Bakole who had broken his nose on one of his many powerful shots. It is not so. In reality, Yoka already had a broken nose before stepping into the ring at the AccorArena. Information that we owe to Souleymane Cissokho, present on Saturday at the edge of the ring to support his friend.
“The first fight where Yoka’s entourage was worried”
“What we don’t know is that he broke his nose during his training camp and putting on gloves was complicated between his helmet with bars and the many bleedings”, revealed on RMC Sports the one who was also part of Rio’s “Team Solide”, aware that against an opponent already so complicated to box – Yoka, sent to the ground in the first round was also counted for the first time in his career – this hard blow for Cyril Hanouna’s protege a few days before the meeting obviously did not help matters. “We take a little hit in terms of confidence, it plays on morale. A boxer ready one hundred percent does not worry and has no apprehension, he will go one hundred percent, while in the unconscious one who has had an injury will put a little brake. I spoke a lot to his entourage and this is the first fight where they were worried because it was not easy with this broken nose. » The Yoka clan was unfortunately right to apprehend this fight that “The Artist” therefore approached wounded. “It’s a fight where he will learn a lot,” said Cissokho nonetheless.
