Sam Noakes is craving a knockout.
After notching up 13 straight stoppage victories, Noakes went the distance with the wily Yvan Mendy in April to win the European lightweight title but the 27-year-old – who also holds the British and Commonwealth titles – will be looking for another early finish when he makes the first defence of his EBU belt against Italy’s Gianluca Ceglia on Friday night.
Noakes, 14-0 (13 KOs), has quickly built a reputation as an all action, swarming pressure fighter but his promoter, Frank Warren, saw plenty in his calm, composed title winning decision victory over Yvan Mendy to suggest that he has a big future.
“Sam Noakes, he’s probably one of the most exciting fighters out there. We’ve got Sam, Nick Ball, Andrew Cain, all just very exciting fighters,” Warren told 32Red. “He’s in there for the European title this weekend. His last fight was the first time he’s been the distance and it was a very controlled performance.
“I think he could have stopped the fella but he got the rounds under his belt. He showed he’s got an engine. He’s got tremendous work rate and this is a big, big fight for him.”
Noakes’ status has grown in parallel with that of Mark Chamberlain, 16-0 (12 KOs), another of Warren’s lightweights. The puncher from Portsmouth has made the most of an unexpected invitation to Saudi Arabia earlier this year and will make his third Riyadh Season appearance on September 21st when he fights Josh Padley at Wembley Stadium. Noakes and Chamberlain find themselves on a collision course to an inevitable showdown.
Both fighters carry high rankings with the various sanctioning bodies and a fight between the two could end up having serious world title implications.
“If he comes through this, obviously the big domestic bust up is going to be between him and Mark Chamberlain down the road,” Warren continued.
“I think it’s going to be a mega fight. I wouldn’t do it yet. I want to wait. Sometimes we do fights earlier, sometimes later. But I think as far as they’re concerned, with their styles, they’re both big punchers, they’ve both got a good stories. I genuinely feel that – for me – that would that would definitely be like an O2 fight and it’ll sell out because you know it’s going to be exciting.”
John Evans has contributed to a number of well-known publications and websites for over a decade. You can follow John on X @John_Evans79
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