# Juho Tolppola

Juho Tolppola (born 5 October 1981) is a Finnish professional boxer who has challenged twice for the European super-lightweight title in 2008. As an amateur he is a three-time Finnish national champion and a bronze medallist at the 2000 European Championships. From 2015 to 2017, Tolppola served a two-year ban from boxing due to doping.

## Amateur career

In his amateur career, Tolppola scored 135 wins in 175 fights, including four consecutive medals at the Finnish national amateur championships: gold in 1998 (light-flyweight), 2000 (flyweight) and 2001 (bantamweight), and silver in 1999 (bantamweight). At the 2000 European Championships, he won a bronze medal in the flyweight division.

## Professional career

Tolppola made his professional debut on 10 December 2001, winning a four-round points decision over Anton Vontszemu. His first opportunity at a regional championship came on 26 November 2004 against Michele Orlando for the vacant IBF International welterweight title. Fighting outside of Finland for the first time as a professional, Tolppola lost a narrow twelve-round split decision in Orlando's native Italy. Two months later, on 28 January 2005, Tolppola went on the road again, losing a ten-round points decision to David Barnes in Scotland.
Between 2007 and 2009, Tolppola challenged for both the European and European Union super-lightweight titles twice each, but lost all of these bouts. In his fourth attempt, against Giuseppe Lauri on 30 May 2009, the fight ended in a highly controversial manner when Tolppola was first disqualified after ten rounds due to repeated fouls, after which his father stormed the ring and punched the referee.
After taking a five-year break from the sport, Tolppola returned to the ring on 9 May 2014. He would score three consecutive wins by unanimous decision before challenging unbeaten Matias Laitinen for the vacant Finnish welterweight title on 23 May 2015. Tolppola won a wide ten-round unanimous decision, but in September the result was changed to a no contest after he failed a drugs test for the use of hydrochlorothiazide (a diuretic to aid weight loss). The Finnish Professional Boxing Association subsequently handed Tolppola a two-year ban from boxing, effective from the Laitinen fight.
In April 2016, Tolppola announced his intention to appeal the decision, maintaining his innocence and calling into question the Association's testing procedures. This appeal was rejected by a court in June of that year, who determined that there were no sufficient grounds for lifting his ban. Boxing promoter Joona Jalkanen announced in October that Tolppola would return to the ring immediately after his ban was lifted, on 13 May 2017, and would be looking to challenge for a European title at some stage, but the fight did not take place.

## Professional boxing record

| 33 fights | 25 wins | 6 losses |
| By knockout | 9 | 1 |
| By decision | 16 | 4 |
| By disqualification | 0 | 1 |
| Draws | 1 | 1 |
| No contests | 1 | 1 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
| 33 | NC | 25–6–1 (1) | Matias Laitinen | UD | 10 | 23 May 2015 | PowerPark, Kauhava, Finland | Originally a UD win for Tolppola, later ruled an NC after he failed a drug test |
| 32 | Win | 25–6–1 | Szabolcs Szabo | UD | 6 | 25 Apr 2015 | Hartwall Arena, Helsinki, Finland | |
| 31 | Win | 24–6–1 | Emanuele De Prophetis | UD | 8 | 20 Sep 2014 | Hartwall Arena, Helsinki, Finland | |
| 30 | Win | 23–6–1 | Suro Ismailov | UD | 6 | 9 May 2014 | Urheilutalo, Helsinki, Finland | |
| 29 | Loss | 22–6–1 | Giuseppe Lauri | DQ | 10 (12), 2:10 | 30 May 2009 | Hartwall Arena, Helsinki, Finland | For European Union super-lightweight title; Tolppola disqualified for repeated fouls |
| 28 | Win | 22–5–1 | Maurycy Gojko | UD | 6 | 14 Feb 2009 | Pyynikin Palloiluhalli, Tampere, Finland | |
| 27 | Loss | 21–5–1 | Gianluca Branco | TKO | 9 (12) | 19 Dec 2008 | PalaLido, Milan, Italy | For European super-lightweight title |
| 26 | Win | 21–4–1 | Walter Sergio Gomez | UD | 10 | 18 Apr 2008 | Töölö Sports Hall, Helsinki, Finland | |
| 25 | Loss | 20–4–1 | Colin Lynes | UD | 12 | 25 Jan 2008 | Goresbrook Leisure Centre, London, England | For European super-lightweight title |
| 24 | Draw | 20–3–1 | Alexander Saltykov | TD | 4 (6), 1:21 | 22 Oct 2007 | Töölö Sports Hall, Helsinki, Finland | TD after Tolppola was cut from an accidental head clash |
| 23 | Win | 20–3 | Arturs Jaskuls | UD | 6 | 18 May 2007 | Urheilutalo, Helsinki, Finland | |
| 22 | Loss | 19–3 | Michele di Rocco | UD | 12 | 30 Jan 2007 | Hartwall Arena, Helsinki, Finland | For European Union super-lightweight title |
| 21 | Win | 19–2 | Gabriel Mapouka | UD | 10 | 6 Oct 2006 | Hartwall Arena, Helsinki, Finland | |
| 20 | Win | 18–2 | Nikita Zaytsev | UD | 10 | 5 May 2006 | Töölö Sports Hall, Helsinki, Finland | |
| 19 | Win | 17–2 | Arturs Jaskuls | UD | 6 | 25 Mar 2006 | Tervahalli, Kemi, Finland | |
| 18 | Win | 16–2 | Ariel Francisco Burgos | UD | 10 | 16 Jan 2006 | Töölö Sports Hall, Helsinki, Finland | |
| 17 | Win | 15–2 | Vadim Gabrielyan | TKO | 4 (6), 1:21 | 30 Sep 2005 | Studio 51, Helsinki, Finland | |
| 16 | Win | 14–2 | Ivo Golakov | TKO | 3 (6), 2:16 | 18 Jun 2005 | Porvoo, Finland | |
| 15 | Win | 13–2 | Rozalin Nasibulin | UD | 6 | 4 Apr 2005 | Töölö Sports Hall, Helsinki, Finland | |
| 14 | Win | 12–2 | Adam Zadworny | KO | 4 (6), 0:43 | 19 Mar 2005 | Premi Nightclub, Helsinki, Finland | |
| 13 | Loss | 11–2 | David Barnes | PTS | 10 | 28 Jan 2005 | Braehead Arena, Glasgow, Scotland | |
| 12 | Win | 11–1 | Deniss Aleksejevs | TKO | 4 (4) | 10 Dec 2004 | Niiralan monttu, Kuopio, Finland | |
| 11 | Loss | 10–1 | Michele Orlando | SD | 12 | 26 Nov 2004 | PalaSegesta, Calatafimi-Segesta, Italy | For vacant IBF International welterweight title |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Alvaro Moreno Gamboa | UD | 8 | 4 Sep 2004 | Levi, Kittilä, Finland | |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Pavel Nemecek | TKO | 4 (6) | 16 Jul 2004 | Helsinki, Finland | |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Leonti Vorontsuk | UD | 8 | 23 Apr 2004 | Myyrmäki Sporthouse, Vantaa, Finland | |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Patrik Prokopecz | TKO | 5 (6) | 28 Feb 2004 | Hotel Lapinportti, Rovaniemi, Finland | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Tibor Rafael | KO | 2 (6), 0:37 | 13 Dec 2003 | Aladdin Bar & Night Club, Espoo, Finland | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Andrei Komiagin | TKO | 2 (6) | 17 May 2003 | Jatuli, Haukipudas, Finland | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Oscar Blanco | UD | 6 | 15 Feb 2003 | Töölö Sports Hall, Helsinki, Finland | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Konstantin Flachbart | TKO | 2 (4) | 13 Sep 2002 | City Civil Defence Shelter, Kirkkonummi, Finland | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Sergei Lazarenko | UD | 4 | 7 Feb 2002 | City Civil Defence Shelter, Kirkkonummi, Finland | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Anton Vontszemu | UD | 4 | 10 Dec 2001 | Ice Hall, Helsinki, Finland | |