Today at 2:55 pm ET streaming live on ESPN+ in the United States and also airing on Premier Sports 2 in the United Kingdom and Canal+ in France, Tony Yoka makes his return to the ring to face veteran Christian Hammer in the headline bout from Nantes.
The 28-year-old Yoka won the gold medal at super heavyweight in the 2016 Olympics, and while it came with some controversy (as many things in Olympic boxing do), there’s no doubt that the 6’7” Frenchman is a bona fide heavyweight prospect.
Facing him today is Germany’s Hammer, a 33-year-old who has been in with the likes of Tyson Fury, Alexander Povetkin, and Luis Ortiz. He came up short against all of them, but only Fury got him out early, back in early 2015. Hammer is a very solid European-level fighter and is a fine next step for Yoka.
How to Watch Yoka vs Hammer
Date: Friday, Nov. 27 | Start Time: 2:55 pm ET
Location: H Arena – Nantes, France
Stream: ESPN+ (US) | TV: Premier Sports 2 (UK) / Canal+ (FRA)
We don’t know exactly how much of the card will be airing on ESPN+ and the other TV outlets, so we’ll list the whole thing and go from there. Yoka’s wife, Estelle Mossely, is also in action. Mossely is also 28 and also won a gold medal at Rio 2016, and was the woman who sort of took over Katie Taylor’s division that year when Taylor started to slip a bit as a high-level amateur. She has a very easy story to sell as a potential Taylor rival in the pro ranks, too. That said, literally nothing on the undercard here is of much real interest in terms of the matchups.
We’ll be here to kick off a day and night of action. Join us!
Full Card (ESPN+, 2:55 pm ET)
- Tony Yoka (8-0, 7 KO) vs Christian Hammer (25-6, 15 KO), heavyweights, 10 rounds
- Estelle Mossely (7-0, 1 KO) vs Emma Gongora (0-1), lightweights, 8 rounds
- Viktor Vykhryst (4-0, 4 KO) vs Kamil Sokolowski (10-19-2, 4 KO), heavyweights, 6 rounds
- Victoire Piteau (6-1, 2 KO) vs Emilie Beugeard (1-2, 0 KO), junior lightweights, 8 rounds
- Volkan Gokcek (4-0, 2 KO) vs Aboubeker Bechelagem (12-11-2, 0 KO), lightweights, 6 rounds