Joyce will now enter the pro ranks after becoming Great Britain’s first-ever silver medalist in the weight category.
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Joyce also missed out on becoming the third British Olympic gold medallist in the past five Olympics after Audley Harrison and Anthony Joshua won gold in 2000 and 2012 respectively.
Yoka looked very beatable in his semi-final against Filip Hrgovic, and although Yoka looked the more stylish the Croatian was the more affective with his bruising hooks causing damage.
Yoka had stoked tension between the pair in the build-up to the final by insisting Joyce was “scared” of him and that he punched “like a robot”.
And cocky Yoka, the current amateur world champion, has given him all the motivation he needs after the Frenchman sneered: “I’m pretty confident, I know him well and I was sure we would meet in the final”.
Whether or not there is bias towards the French – unproven but strongly suspected – Joyce will have to stay focused on the job, because Yoka is a clever mover, adroit at staying out of trouble – not unlike Iva Dychko, the Kazak he beat in the semi-finals.
He said: “He has been saying I’m not smart in the ring – that I’m a beast but not smart”. Joyce himself was gutted after the victory and thought he had won. I feel he has more experience and grounding than I had in 2012.
“He has good stamina and he has got a better jab, and he can do a back-flip better than me”. He boxes with his heart.
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Joyce, once world heavyweight champion Joshua’s sparring partner, retorted: “He said that, did he?”
