French star Tony Yoka will take on heavyweight rival Carlos Takam in Paris on March 11; On the undercard Dan Azeez will challenge Frenchman Thomas Faure for the European light-heavyweight title with the event live on Sky Sports
Monday 20 February 2023 14:00, UK
Dan Azeez will box in Paris on the undercard of the Tony Yoka vs Carlos Takam heavyweight clash on March 11, live on Sky Sports.
Azeez, the British and Commonwealth light-heavyweight champion, will challenge for the European title when he takes on France's Thomas Faure in the latter's home country.
The main event of the bill, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, sees an all-French heavyweight showdown when Rio 2016 Olympic gold medallist Tony Yoka collides with former world title challenger Carlos Takam.
The event is a blockbuster co-promotion between BOXXER and All Star Promotions at the Zenith Paris - La Villette.
Azeez, 18-0 (12), will take the next step on his own mission to become a world title contender in his challenge for the vacant EBU European light-heavyweight championship.
"My goal has always been to become a world champion and I believe that the European title is the perfect stepping stone for me in this mission. I'm training hard and I'm excited for the fight," he said.
Opposing Azeez in this 12-round contest, Faure is a former European Union light-heavyweight champion and former French national champion who is coming into this bout on an eight-fight undefeated streak.
Last December Azeez defeated Rocky Fielding in Bournemouth, a fourth stoppage win in his last five outings, completing his ascent from English to British and Commonwealth champion.
He has set out to follow a measured but seemingly inexorable path to world championship contention. For Azeez this European title bout is the next crucial stepping stone and he travels abroad to fight for the championship crown.
The event is headlined by two Olympians as former European heavyweight champion Yoka faces the heavy-handed Cameroon-born Takam.
Yoka controversially defeated Joe Joyce in the 2016 Olympic super-heavyweight in Rio de Janeiro to win the gold medal for France but is a proven force on the European professional circuit since turning pro in 2017.
His sole loss to date came at the hands of highly-ranked heavyweight Martin Bakole, who earlier this month signed an exclusive promotional agreement with BOXXER as he prepares to make a world title run in 2023.
BOXXER CEO and founder Ben Shalom said: "We're delighted to start a relationship with Jerome Abiteboul and All Star Boxing. We really believe that we can work with promotions around the world to grow the sport and get the biggest fights made.
"Dan Azeez is such an exciting talent and the European title is the next step on his journey to world championship contention. It will be a great experience for Dan and we have more fights to announce later this week."
The event takes place on Saturday March 11 and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK and Republic of Ireland.
