French boxing has been in a state of disrepair, largely due to a lack of TV dates, with powerhouse Canal+ exiting the sport in the mid 2000s.

However, while some youngsters have found their way to other sports, notably soccer, there is still boxing talent in France, but they lack opportunities. One fighter who hopes to help bring back the good ole days to French boxing is Bakary Samake.

The 21-year-old junior middleweight will face Roarke Knapp in a scheduled 12-round contest that will take place on RMC Sport TV.

Interestingly, the event will consist of just one boxing match but will share center stage with renowned French Rapper, Gazo, on Friday, at La Defense Arena, Paris.

"It's going to be a historic moment because this kind of thing, this configuration of event, never happens and maybe in the future, it will never happen again," Samake (17-0, 9 knockouts) told The Ring through Baptiste Despois. "I am really proud to be with Gazo because I am a close friend of his and I think there is a connection between fighting sports and music artists. I am really, really excited about this project."

While there is expected to be between 30 and 40,000 revellers in Europe's largest arena on fight night, Samake is there on business.

"My preparation was really serious, I did a good training camp in Las Vegas for one-month," he said. "I've gone to Las Vegas five-times, now I'm more comfortable. I'm "The French guy." At the beginning, nobody knows me but now they do.

"I'm really excited about my next fight. I'm really motivated."

During his time in Sin City, Samake sparred several big names including Brian Mendoza, Fernando Vargas Jr., Aaron and Steve McKenna, Troy Isley and Tim Tszyu, all of whom will have helped him prepare for his South African opponent.

"He's a good fighter; I'm going to put pressure on him and take my time and find the right moment," he said. "My opponent will have only one option [but to go backwards] and that's the only way I see the fight [going]."

The bright lights of Las Vegas are a far cry from his inauspicious beginnings growing up in Aubervilliers, Seine-Saint-Denis, a northeastern suburb of Paris.

As a youngster, he tried various sports including basketball, swimming and ice-hockey before arriving at boxing with a little help from his father, Issa, who felt the Sweet Science would assist his son in different avenues.

"I found that Bakary wasn't sociable at school," said Samake Sr. "I thought boxing could help him make friends and discover the true Bakary. Boxing allowed me to build who he is today."

Samake, who went on to have 34 amateur contests, losing 5, decided to embark on a professional career while still a teenager but Covid put that on the backburner.

"I decided, with my father, to become professional," he explained. "As I was 17, I was not allowed to fight in France, so I went to Luxembourg and started my professional career and when I was 18, I went back to France.

"We used the Covid period to intensify my physical training. We didn't know what could happen in the coming years to change our plan."

And they haven't looked back since, staying busy and moving through the ranks. He has scored wins over tough Argentine boxer Lucas Bastida (UD 10), veteran countryman Ahmed El Mousaoui (UD 10), seasoned Julio Alamos (UD 10) and, most recently, stopping Wade Ryan (TKO 7) in a statement of intent.

"This fight gave me a lot of experience because Wade Ryan was older, he was tricky," acknowledged Samake. "I was confident before the fight, and I was right to be confident."

Samake has been expertly guided to this point by his father, who trains and promotes his son and has big plans for his future.

"Before 2027 to get an opportunity to get the world title," said Samake Sr. "Our objective is for Bakary to be the youngest French guy to get win the world title.

"The next fight is a good test and will give an idea of Bakary's level, regarding the opponent, which is really experienced and a good fighter.

"If he is successful, I am confident he can beat all the fighters at 154-pounds, even if he needs to gain experience. Next fight will be a new chapter and open to him to the world. On the International stage, Bakary is not known at this time but after this fight they will learn who he is and also discover all of Bakary's potential and they will be surprised."

Knapp (17-2-1, 12 KOs) turned professional at 18, in 2016. He won nine of his first 10 outings, the lone blemish was a draw before he was upset by Brandon Thysse (KO7). He rebounded strongly and edged home against Thysse (SD 12) in a rematch.

The 26-year-old stepped into international class beating the likes of Dante Jardon (UD 10), common opponent Ahmed El Mousaoui (UD 10) and Prezemyslaw Zysk (TKO 5). The South African had been due to face Josh Kelly in December 2023, only he got injured and the fight was postponed. When Knapp returned, he was stopped by Mexican Jorge Garcia Perez (KO 3) but has since returned with a win.