He said yes.
In a tweet posted this Thursday evening, Tony Yoka accepts the challenge posed to him by the Croatian Filip Hrgovic: “Anyone, anytime, Anyplace (Editor’s note: anyone, anytime, anywhere) … You know me, I never hid myself”, underlines the Olympic champion of the Rio Games.
He does not mention the name of his unfortunate opponent in the semi-finals of the 2016 Olympics, but there is no need to read very long between the lines to understand.
Tony Yoka says to him “chick!
"
“Apparently, Yoka wants the fight, had launched earlier in the day the English promoter Eddie Hearn on a British TV.
I talked about it with Top Rank (Editor's note: the firm of American promoters who manage Yoka's US career).
It's a brilliant fight ahead.
"
Six years after the Games, the two adversaries will meet again.
As the Frenchman says, we don't yet know where and when.
The winner of this duel, when it takes place, will become the official challenger of the IBF-WBA-WBO champion, the Ukrainian Alexandre Usyk.
Or the Englishman Anthony Joshua, if the latter dethrones Usyk and takes his revenge on him during a fight scheduled for April.
Anyone, anytime, ANYPLACE
You know me, I never hid.
pic.twitter.com/FbLjZx0XHu
— Tony YOKA (@TonyYoka) January 13, 2022
The last time the two men met, it was therefore in the semi-finals of the Games which crowned the Parisian.
The Frenchman won narrowly, on points (two judges against one).
Having also turned professional since Rio, Hrgovic has never admitted this Olympic setback.
He has 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 provokes the French Olympic champion: “A letter from the IBF will arrive at your home.
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 revenge time.
Tony Yoka, the ball is in your court.
"
Yoka took her on the leap.
It now remains for the promoters of both camps to set the place and date of the rematch.
It could be in the United States where Yoka has dreamed of officially performing for so long.
