Nantes (AFP)

Heavyweight Tony Yoka continued his "Conquest", the name given to his early pro career by his promoters, easily beating a second German boxer in a row, Michael Wallisch, on Saturday in Nantes, by stoppage of the referee to 3rd recovery.

Less than three months after another heavyweight from Germany, Alexander Dimitrenko, in July in Antibes, the scenario was almost identical, with the same result.

Weighed at 113 kilos on Friday, against 108.5 for Yoka, sometimes nicknamed "The Artist", Wallisch, did not seem able to face the Olympic champion Rio long, equipped with superb gray leather shorts.

Faced with a little mobile opponent, Yoka began to advance from the second round, without taking any risk, then he increased the pace.

"When I saw that there was nothing very bad in front, I realized that I had to let go to please the public," reacted in the ring the Rio Olympic champion. He had attracted 6,253 lovers of noble art in this room usually used by handball players.

Before meeting Yoka, Wallisch, a 33-year-old Bavarian, had conceded only two defeats in 22 bouts for 20 wins including 13 before the limit. He put the knee down at the start of the third round, then after another round of shots the referee preferred to stop the charges, triggering a few whistles in the H Arena.

Yoka returned to the rings in July, after a year of suspension by the French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD), for missing three times, in less than a year, its location obligations for unannounced inspections .

- Under the eyes of James Prince, his new manager -

"I box in bigger rooms, it shows that this conquest, it works," said Yoka. "I even had a little trepidation before I started, because I felt the room vibrate when Souleymane (Cissokho) boxed," he said about his friend, easy winner of the Russian Dmitry Mikhaylenko who has held to the end.

"It was a good work session, but dangerous, his head is hard, my hands hurt," Cissokho summed up after ten rounds where his technique and mobility put him out of the woods. a bad surprise. He also came back with a Rio medal, bronze.

Yoka remains undefeated in seven professional fights, including six wins before the limit. He will meet in early December, in Paris, another German, Christian Hammer, 16th world heavyweight. It will be December 14 in Paris, and even in Bercy: "a mythical room where I have childhood memories," rejoices Yoka already.

Among the spectators, there was the new manager of Yoka, James Prince, who had never seen him boxing in public, and of course his wife Estelle Mossely, gold medalist in Rio, like him. There was also FC Nantes goalkeeper Alban Lafont, heroic early in the afternoon in Lyon (1-0).

For the anecdote, there was a minute of applause for Jean-Claude Bouttier, the former boxing champion and historical consultant for Canal, before the fight of Cissokho, and a minute of silence for Jacques Chirac, who died Thursday, before the French Championship of Bantamweight won hard by Elie Konki against Loïc Tajan. The most beautiful fight of the evening.

© 2019 AFP