Sam Noakes is targeting an eventual fight with Denys Berinchyk.
Following the announcement of his date of September 6, at London’s York Hall, with Gianluca Ceglia – the mandatory challenger to his European lightweight title – he hopes to progress to world level in 2025.
In 2024 the presence of Gervonta “Tank” Davis, Shakur Stevenson, Vasiliy Lomachenko, William Zepeda and Berinchyk perhaps makes the 135lbs division the world’s strongest.
Noakes, at 27, is nine years Berinchyk’s junior, and he recognises the extent to which the US represents the centre of the lightweight universe and the challenges that that poses for him, but he is optimistic that if he records his 15th and 16th victories before the year’s conclusion his time will come.
There similarly exists a recognition that fights with Davis and Stevenson, the world’s leading lightweights, are unlikely before he establishes himself at world level, and yet with Stevenson expected to fight Zepeda he also knows that the path to Ukraine’s Berinchyk could be clear.
“If you get yourself in that mandatory spot then they don’t really have a choice, do they?” he said. “I’m ranked with the WBO. Zepeda’s been ordered to fight Shakur; I don’t know who Berinchyk’s fighting but out of the four world champions I’d rather that one.
“You’ve got to say either Shakur or Gervonta Davis [are the divisional leaders]. Lomachenko once upon a time but he’s sort of getting over the hill a little bit, isn’t he? Probably between them two.
“Where they’re such big names, it’s more money, isn’t it? I don’t mind – I’ll fight either one of them for a world title. It wouldn’t bother me which one.
“[But] if I could choose it would be Berinchyk, because stylistically – and he’s older, isn’t he? Any one of them would be main event on a big card in Vegas. Your name up there – it’s what we’re in the sport for, isn’t it? I’ve just got to keep biding my time until I get to that sort of situation where I can be in them sort of fights.”
If Stevenson is widely considered the lightweight division’s most natural talent, the heavy-handed Davis has come to represent its biggest name.
Stevenson has been criticised for a perceived lack of entertainment across the course of his past two contests – victories over Edwin de los Santos and Artem Harutyunyan – and asked about both that criticism and how he views a potential fight between them, Noakes responded: “I probably lean more to Davis. I prefer his style of fighting; he’s probably been in bigger fights as well.
“Zepeda’s a good operator. We’ll see how Shakur gets through that and then maybe the Davis fight might seem a bit more appealing for him.
“When you boil the sport down everyone likes to see tear ups, don’t they? Even the Joe Joyce fight [against Derek Chisora]. It’s not the two best heavyweights out there, but what a fight – they was just going at each other.
“Unless you’re a boxing purist – it’s similar with the [Floyd] Mayweather fights; Mayweather-[Manny] Pacquiao, everyone thought was gonna be an unbelievable fight, but it was a bit boring; a bit one-sided – that’s not what people want to see. They see them chomping at the bit beforehand; they then wanted to see a massive tear up, blood and all that, but sometimes it’s just not like that. I wish I was that skilful that I didn’t have to get involved as much – so, fair fair play to them.
“The opportunities for me are at this weight. I make it – I’m not saying I’m singing and dancing. I ain’t. But I make it alright – well enough that I feel fit and I feel strong. Even the last fight [April’s victory over Yvan Mendy] I done 12 rounds, no problem. Just, 12 rounds is a long time – you’re meant to come out feeling tired.
“I think I’ve got another few years [at 135lbs]. I’m campaigning for a world title at lightweight.
“September 6th will be the first one, and then another fight in December.”
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