The upcoming weekend was set to feature two boxing cards on DAZN, but now there will only be one. The Lawrence Okolie vs. Tony Yoka card that was originally set to take place at the Adidas Arena in Paris, France has been canceled.
The Voluntary Anti-Doping Association administered PED testing for the fight and informed Queensberry of an adverse finding in Okolie’s sample. Okolie has been provisionally suspended and the entire 7-fight card was called off.
Okolie took to Instagram to address the situation.
“Before anyone starts imagining the worst, following my bicep injury last year, I sustained an elbow injury on the same arm during this camp. I had a treatment on it and now we are here. I truly hope sense prevails. I will of course be fully cooperating with all relevant authorities and I’m confident any investigation will clear my name. I won’t be making any further comment at this time. Thank you for all your support and see you soon.”
What Does This Mean For Okolie and Yoka?
It’s a major setback for both men. Okolie has looked dominant since moving up to heavyweight in 2024. He’d have loved to get a win over Yoka to push him closer to a major payday and perhaps a title opportunity. Yoka was a bright prospect coming out of the 2016 Olympics, but he hit a three-fight losing streak in 2022-23. He’d rebounded with four wins in a row and this fight with Okolie could have been huge for him.
Okolie holds the WBC’s No. 1 heavyweight ranking behind champion Oleksandr Usyk and interim title holder Agit Kabayel. A win over Yoka could have positioned him for a mandatory title fight later this year. Now, with a provisional suspension and a VADA case under review, that timeline is in serious jeopardy.
What Other Fights Were Canceled on the Card?
There weren’t a ton of huge names, but, nonetheless, these matchups are either off permanently or will need to be rescheduled:
- Bakary Samake vs Ermal Hadribeaj – super welterweight
- Khalil El Hadri vs Liborio Solis – heavyweight
- Adam Olaniyan vs Andre Youmbi Oyen – heavyweight
- Luis Vela vs Yeison Juarez – super lightweight
- Enzo Marguerite vs Jeremy Alvarez – super welterweight
- Mourad Aliev vs Jhan Carlo Delgado – heavyweight
The Samake-Hadribeaj clash was the co-main event and a WBC final eliminator at 154 pounds. That delay is the second-biggest hit on the card behind the main event itself.
What’s Left on DAZN’s Slate After Okolie-Yoka Was Canceled?
Miller-Pero in Las Vegas becomes the headline heavyweight fight of the weekend. Jarrell Miller takes on Lenier Pero at the Fontainebleau in a fight with real heavyweight ranking implications, and the card has solid undercard depth around it.
The other DAZN offering is Jacob Bank vs. Paulinus Ndjolonimu in Kolding, Denmark, a more regional card that fills out the schedule. Between the two, Miller-Pero is what most U.S. boxing fans will tune in for.
When is the Next Major Boxing Event?
May 2 is a doubleheader weekend with Inoue-Nakatani and Ramirez-Benavidez. Naoya Inoue defends his undisputed junior featherweight championship against Junto Nakatani in Tokyo, while Gilberto Ramirez puts his WBO and WBA cruiserweight titles on the line against David Benavidez in a DAZN PPV from Las Vegas.
That’s followed quickly by Fabio Wardley vs. Daniel Dubois on May 9 in Manchester for the WBO heavyweight title, and Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven on May 23 in Egypt for the WBC heavyweight title. Boxing’s next month is loaded enough to make the Paris cancellation easier to absorb.
