Yoka, who beat Britain's Joe Joyce in the final at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, was sanctioned by the French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD).

The 26-year-old appealed to the French Council of State in an attempt to get the decision thrown out.

But the Council ruled he was guilty of negligence and confirmed the suspension would remain in place, dealing Yoka's hopes of securing a world title a blow.

Yoka recently signed a four-year contract with French broadcaster Canal+ as part of a campaign called "The Conquest", where he is targeting becoming the first Frenchman to win a world heavyweight title.

"The casualness of the behaviour of Mr Yoka, who as an experienced sportsman is particularly informed of the importance of doping tests couldn't be unaware from the first warning of the consequences of his carelessness, doesn't allow us to seriously consider that the one-year suspension would be disproportionate," the judge's order read, according to Agence France-Presse.

Yoka had initially been handed a suspended one-year ban by the French Boxing Federation before the AFLD stepped in to take over the case.

He missed three anti-doping tests between July 2016 and July 2017 after failing to submit the required information on his whereabouts.

The original suspended one-year sentence caused controversy as the AFLD regulations state that three missed tests warrants a one or two-year ban.

Yoka's lawyer Arnaud Pericard had earlier sought to explain the missed tests, claiming the first was because Yoka was on a flight to the United States, while the second was because the boxer was unaware that he was still "subject to geolocation requirements" during a "period of relaxation".

The third was caused by drug-testers turning up at his home in France when he was abroad in the US, according to the lawyer.