Yoka (15-3, 12 KOs), the 2016 Olympic gold medalist, returns to his home city for a heavyweight bout against former world champion Okolie (22-1, 16 KOs). Both men are 33 and now in the heavyweight division.
Yoka began his professional career with 11 straight wins before suffering three consecutive defeats. Since relocating his training base to London, he has rebuilt with four victories in a row. This fight represents his most significant fight since that run of losses.
Okolie is a two-weight world champion, having held titles at cruiserweight and bridgerweight. Now campaigning at heavyweight, he holds the WBC Silver belt and most recently defended it against Kevin Lerena at Wembley Stadium last July. His size, reach, and ability to tie up inside remain central to his approach at the higher weight.
Promoter Frank Warren outlined the ambition behind the Paris event.
“I am thrilled to be extending our reach to the French capital,” Warren said. “In Tony Yoka and Bakary Samake, we have two major stars capable of reigniting the sport in an important and historic boxing territory.”
Yoka must establish his jab early and keep Okolie from tying him up inside. If he allows Okolie to dictate range, the pace slows and the fight turns physical.
The co-feature places unbeaten super welterweight Bakary Samake (19-0, 11 KOs) in a WBC final eliminator against Ermal Hadribeaj (22-0-1, 8 KOs). Samake holds the WBC Silver title and is positioned for a direct route into the championship order with a win.
“Bakary, meanwhile, is looking to trade up his WBC Silver title in a final eliminator against a tough and experienced opponent in Ermal Hadribeaj,” Warren added.
Hadribeaj, a Miami-based southpaw known for disciplined footwork and steady punch selection, has defended the WBC International title multiple times and enters as an unbeaten contender seeking to disrupt the local headline narrative.
The April 25 event has direct implications in two weight classes. At heavyweight, Yoka is trying to push himself back into the contender mix against a former world champion. At super welterweight, Samake is fighting for mandatory ground in the WBC order. The results will determine how quickly either man moves toward a sanctioned title opportunity.
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