Olympic Gold Medalist Tony Yoka Decisions Christian Hammer After Ten Bloody Rounds
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Nantes, France (November 28th, 2020)– 2016 Super Heavyweight Olympic Gold Medalist Tony Yoka hopes to fight for the world heavyweight championship one day. After going 10 bloody rounds to decision fringe contender turned journeyman Christian Hammer, at H Arena in Nantes, France, on ESPN Plus, Friday, November 27, 2020, the boxing establishment remains unconvinced.
Yoka, 9-0 with seven knockouts, Paris, France, went the ten rounds distance for the first time in his three years career. Hammer, 25-7 with 15 knockouts, Hamburg, Germany by way of Romania, has been in with Alexander Povetkin, Tyson Fury, and Luis Ortiz. Hammer, from the getgo, fought a style of survival fight to make sure neither nor Yoka were going anywhere. At 6’2 ½” and 259 pounds, Hammer confused the 6’8″ 239 pounds Yoka by holding onto Yoka from the start of the bout, not allowing Yoka much room to fight. Both Hammer and Yoka were throwing right hands over the top, and the first round probably could have been scored even from a neutral judging standpoint. A clash of heads early in round two left Hammer bleeding from a nasty cut above the right eye, all the more reason for him to spend the bout holding doing the tango. Hammer, being the shorter of the two combatants, charged forward-leaning in, and got the worst of the butt.
While the French never considered stopping the bout for the ringside doctor to consider a no contest, they also had no interest in stopping the bout. This turned Hammer’s first trip to French territory into a nine rounds trip to hell to the finish line. The fight was actually far closer than the scorecards indicated. Yoka, despite his height and size advantage, showed average hand speed, no special power, and walked around the ring in a sleep walk stroll for all ten rounds. A knockout was never in the cards.
Hammer lost a point in round six. With Yoka’s hand tape on the left glove loose, and Yoka pushing Hammer off him below the neck sending him reeling backward, Hammer retaliated by coming forward, grabbing Yoka, and punching Yoka behind the head on the next clinch. As referee Bertrand Chagnoux separated the two boxers, Hammer swung with a wild right hook at Yoka which missed while the two were still being separated. Yoka, to his credit, was patient, calm and got ten rounds in while not taking chances against a more experienced opponent.
Result: Tony Yoka Win 10 Christian Hammer, Heavyweights
Scoring: 100-89, 100-89, 100-89 for Tony Yoka. Referee: Bertrand Chagnoux
COMMENTS
English