Tony Yoka needed only three hours to accept the opportunity to challenge Murat Gassiev for the WBA heavyweight world title.

The Rio 2016 Olympic gold medalist will face Gassiev in the main event of IBA PRO 19 on Saturday, 11 July 2026 at the VTB Arena in Moscow. Victory would see Yoka become France’s first professional heavyweight world champion.

The opportunity arose after Yoka’s scheduled contest against Lawrence Okolie on 25 April was cancelled. His manager called shortly afterwards with an offer to face Gassiev, and the Frenchman consulted his family and team before giving an answer.

“I think it took me about three hours,” Yoka said. “I spoke with my father, my brothers and the rest of my team, and then we accepted the challenge.”

The timing meant that Yoka was already in fighting condition. He had completed most of his preparations for the Okolie bout and took only one week away from the gym before beginning work towards his world title challenge.

“My training camp is going really well,” he said. “I was ready for a big fight in April, so I took a week of rest and went straight back into training.

“I feel that I will be even better prepared for this fight than I was for April. I will be more than ready.”

The primary focus of the camp is conditioning. Yoka expects Gassiev to apply consistent pressure and understands that he may be required to maintain his movement and punch output across the full championship distance.

Rather than concentrating on maximal strength or heavy lifting, Yoka is working on his ability to repeat technically demanding actions without losing speed or accuracy.

“I am not really doing heavy lifts,” he explained. “I am focusing more on repeating actions. I need to be able to do that for 12 rounds, and that is where my main focus is.

“I know it is going to be a tough fight. Murat is going to come forward, so I need to be able to repeat my work until the end.”

Gassiev enters the contest with a professional record of 33 wins and two defeats, including 26 victories inside the distance. The 32-year-old claimed the WBA heavyweight title by stopping Kubrat Pulev in the sixth round at IBA PRO 13 and will now make his first defence in front of the Moscow crowd.

Yoka believes the champion remains at his physical peak but is confident that his own dimensions and technical qualities will present Gassiev with a different challenge from those he has encountered in the heavyweight division.

“Of course, I think he is at his peak because he is only 32 years old,” Yoka said. “For a heavyweight, 32 can be just the beginning.

“But I also believe I am better than the opponents he has faced at heavyweight. He is going to meet someone who is around two metres tall, weighs 117 kilograms and has good technique. I think it will be completely different from his recent fights.”

The French challenger sees the contrast between their styles as one of the most intriguing elements of the contest.

Gassiev is known for his physical strength, pressure and concussive punching power, while Yoka intends to use his height, footwork and technical background to control the distance.

“I feel Murat’s style is a perfect match for me because he comes forward and likes to fight,” Yoka said. “I am taller, and I believe I have better movement and technique. I think our two styles make for a perfect match-up.”

Before entering the professional ranks, Yoka established himself as one of the leading amateur heavyweights of his generation. He won gold at the 2015 AIBA World Boxing Championships before defeating Joe Joyce in the final of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

His professional career began with 11 consecutive victories, but that unbeaten run was followed by three successive defeats between 2022 and 2023 against Martin Bakole, Carlos Takam and Ryad Merhy.

Yoka believes that difficult period was caused by several problems occurring at the same time rather than one individual weakness.

“Everything was going badly for me in 2022 and 2023,” he admitted. “It was a little bit of everything. There were boxing issues, I was too light, I was working with the wrong people and the wrong promoter, and I also had problems in my family.

“But I have moved past it. I have now won four fights in a row, and I do not think about that period anymore. I believe I am entering the final chapter of my career, and I hope it will be a beautiful one.”

That run began after Yoka’s defeat to Ryad Merhy in Paris in December 2023. Since then, the Olympic champion has rebuilt his momentum with victories over Amine Boucetta in London in July 2024, Lamah Griggs in Swindon in September 2024, Arslan Yallyev at Adidas Arena in Paris in May 2025 and Patrick Korte in Lagos in December 2025.

Those four victories have helped Yoka return to world title contention. The fight in Moscow now gives him an opportunity to turn that recovery into the defining achievement of his professional career.

Yoka also believes the heavyweight division is entering a period of transition. He regards Oleksandr Usyk as one of the greatest names in the history of the weight class but does not believe there is currently one obvious contender who will dominate its next era.

“I do not really see one person as the best heavyweight for the years ahead,” he said. “I think it is a new era.”

Yoka pointed to Filip Hrgovic, Agit Kabayel, Daniel Dubois, Martin Bakole and Moses Itauma as potential leading figures in the division over the coming years — and firmly included himself among them.

Before considering any future possibilities, however, he must overcome a defending champion whose power has established him as one of the most dangerous heavyweights in the sport.

Yoka is not predicting a particular round or method of victory. He is instead relying on the work completed in camp and the conviction that carried him to Olympic gold.

“I am not going to trash-talk or say which round I will win in, as Muhammad Ali used to do,” Yoka said. “I am simply ready for this fight and for this big opportunity.

“I have been working hard. I know what I have been through, and I know I am going to shock the world because nobody is ready for what is coming.

“I know what I am capable of. I have been blessed in this sport, and I believe I have a great destiny. I became an Olympic champion for a reason. On 11 July, I will be ready to step up.”

Tickets for IBA PRO 19 are available at the link.