Paris XIII, Paris, France. In the main event of the show, the local heavyweight prospect (over 90.7 kg) and Olympic champion Tony Yoka (11-1, 9 KOs) sensationally lost to the strong African Martin Bakola Ilunga (18-1, 13 KOs).
Yoka did not seem to pay attention to the fact that Ilunga clearly made a bet on a knockout victory – he gained a few extra pounds. The favorite forgot about the work of the legs, yawned left hook in the opening round. Yoku got it. A few heavy jabs and a couple of body hooks followed. At the end of the three-minutes, the favorite fell. It smelled like a sensation!
The Frenchman worked a little better in the 2nd three-minute period, tried to listen to instructions from the corner – they were asked to move, not to stagnate. In the 3rd round, Yoka again began to hang right in front of Bakole. It ended with a broken nose and a black eye. The Olympic champion looks indistinct. The African is well done, he does not force things. He confidently leads the fight to victory.
In the 5th round, the referee recorded a knockdown number 2: Yoka missed the blow, after which he lost his balance. After half of the fight 5:0 and two knockdowns in favor of the underdog. Playing it without a knockout is almost impossible. But there is one point. Bakole is not always enough for the whole distance.
Yoka worked well in the 7th round: he launched uppercuts, hit the body several times, there were accurate side hooks and a couple of crosses. Bakole holds well, but it’s still a heavyweight – you shouldn’t reflect everything with your head. He decided that it was not worth the risk and tried to work out the final rounds from defense, while taking the center of the ring and forcing Yoka to look for ways to get closer.
The final round went to the underdog’s piggy bank. The judges simply will not dare to take away this victory from him. But let’s wait for the verdict. They count for a long time. The score is terrible, but the African still won: 94-94, 95-93, 96-92.
Bakole MD 10.
Two-time amateur world champion and Olympic medalist, local second featherweight prospect (up to 59 kg)
Sofien Umiha (2-0, 1 KO) defeated a compatriot
Mevi Bufudi (8-1, 3 KOs).
The favorite started the fight indistinctly, passed readable right through his hand, but soon got used to the opponent: he boxed with the second number, failed, countered, shot from a distance. In the 3rd round, Bufudi got wound up, in one of the episodes he lifted Umikha and almost threw him out of the ring – he caught on the ropes. The referee chose not to penalize the rude man.
Bufudi aggressively pursued the favorite, tried to confuse him with frequent changes of stances, but could not maintain the set pace. In the second half of the battle, at times Umikha already worked as the first number. The fighters tried to work in infighting. The favorite played more and more in front of the audience, flaunted his defense, confidently controlled the course of the battle, but often slashed through the air with his hands. The fight went all the way.
Umiha UD 8.
