When Céline Dion sang “L’Hymne à l’amour” in a breathtaking performance on the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the spectacular overture to the XXXIII Olympic Games had reached its climax. Not even the constant rain in Paris could harm the ailing grande dame during her moving performance. Lady Gaga had already provided great elegance with a revue interlude in the shadow of the world-famous Notre Dame Cathedral. The opening ceremony turned into a brightly colored show with fireworks, laser shows and spectacular images along the landmarks of Paris – and also sent a message of peace to the world.

Before that, the approximately 6,800 athletes had presented themselves to the world public in an impressive boat parade on the Seine; basketball star Dennis Schröder and judo world champion Anna-Maria Wagner proudly waved the flag on the German ship.

At 10:54 p.m. Macron declares the games open READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

At 10:54 p.m., French President Emmanuel Macron declared the games open. IOC President Thomas Bach had previously linked his speech to the hope for a better political situation in the world. “Now we are part of an event that unites the world in peace,” said the 70-year-old. “In a world torn apart by wars and conflicts, thanks to this solidarity we can all come together this evening and unite the athletes of 206 National Olympic Committees and the IOC refugee team.”

tis / DPA

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Usually, Tony Yoka, advised by an imposing marketing machine, announced his next fight with a loud media drum roll. The whole world had to know that the great warrior with the tattooed chest was going to put his gloves back on to advance on the path to his self-proclaimed glory, that of a handsome Frenchman, born to succeed Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Vitali Klitschko in the list of legendary heavyweights. This time, the 32-year-old Parisian kept it light. The news came out on the sly at the beginning of the week and the interested party confirmed it on Thursday evening on his Instagram account: “I know you’ve been waiting for it for a while, a lot of contractual worries but it’s finally over! I’m boxing Saturday night in London for the first of my four fights that are due to take place this year.”

While Paris and France are buzzing with Olympic madness, it is intriguing, even cruel, to know that, this Saturday, July 27, the super-heavyweight gold medalist from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics will fight at the Tolworth Recreation Center, in the far south suburbs of London, eight years after his consecration. The modesty of the venue – a simple gym – is surprising for an athlete scheduled for the lavish evenings of Las Vegas or New York against the best heavyweights in the world. Is this an attempt at diversion, a burst of modesty with a view to returning to his art at the base? Does the 32-year-old Frenchman want to relaunch himself with an easy victory while his career has been taking dark turns for at least two years?

An opponent with 14 defeats in his last 15 fights

Tony Yoka has indeed suffered three consecutive defeats on points against the Congolese Martin Bakole (May 15, 2022), the Franco-Cameroonian Carlos Takam (March 11, 2023) and then the Belgian Ryad Mehry (December 9, 2023), each time in Paris, the last of which was on the center court at Roland-Garros. In each of these performances, he appeared apathetic, without the necessary resilience, incapable of taking control of the ring against opponents far from the global elite.

The profile of his opponent tonight is even more puzzling. Tony Yoka is facing the very obscure Belgian Amine Boucetta, also 32 years old. The strapping guy, hardly sharp, is 1.88 m tall, thirteen centimetres shorter than the Parisian. He has twenty-three professional fights for fifteen defeats. He is not on the rise either, since he has been beaten fourteen times in his last fifteen outings. He is currently ranked 548th in the world heavyweight rankings of the reference site BoxRec, 500 places behind his famous opponent. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

It is very complicated to understand the sporting interest of such an opposition scheduled in eight three-minute rounds. Even a quick victory by KO or referee stoppage would not restore the Frenchman’s badly damaged reputation. If he cares about his mental health, Tony Yoka should take care not to hang around too much on social networks. In recent days, mockery and bloody attacks have been rife about him. Very discreet in the media since his stinging defeat last fall, the person concerned, for his part, does not deviate from his line. He has given a name to his surprise return to English soil: “Triumph 1”.

2024-07-27 06:09:00
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