Tony Yoka has been forced out of his July 11 WBA heavyweight title fight against Murat Gassiev due to a back injury. Promoters are searching for a replacement opponent, with Joe Joyce — already on the same card against Artyom Suslenkov — emerging as the most likely candidate. Should Joyce step in, a new opponent would be found for Suslenkov.
French heavyweight contender Tony Yoka has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled July 11 WBA heavyweight title fight against Murat Gassiev due to a back injury, leaving promoters scrambling to restructure the card less than two weeks before the event.
With Yoka ruled out, Joe Joyce has emerged as the most likely replacement to step in and challenge Gassiev for the WBA strap. Joyce is already slated to appear on the same card, set to face Artyom Suslenkov, meaning a reshuffle would be required on multiple fronts. Should Joyce move up to the title fight, a new opponent would need to be sourced for Suslenkov.
Why it matters
- The WBA heavyweight title fight is now in jeopardy with under two weeks until the scheduled event date
- Joe Joyce represents the most immediately available option given his presence on the same card
- Any change to the Joyce-Suslenkov pairing creates a secondary matchmaking problem for promoters
- The timeline is extremely tight, leaving little room to negotiate and confirm changes
The injury is a significant blow to Yoka, who had been positioned to compete for a legitimate world title in the heavyweight division. Promoters have not yet confirmed a replacement, and the situation remains fluid as negotiations over the revised matchup continue.
