HAVING already won Commonwealth and European titles Sam Noakes now wants to make the next step in his career.
The 27-year-old defends his EBU Lightweight belt against Gianluca Ceglia tomorrow night (Friday, September 6) at York Hall. Noakes captured his second major honour when he beat Yvan Mendy in April and by the end of 2024 Noakes wants to challenge for a world title, specifically the WBO version currently held by Denys Berinchyk.
“That’s the fight I want. I would love to have that fight at the end of the year,” Noakes told Queensberry’s Dev Sahni.
Berinchyk is a former European champion having won the belt against Mendy in December 2022 on the Tyson Fury-Derek Chisora 3 undercard at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Ukrainian won comfortably enough on the cards (117-112, 116-112 twice) before vacating the title. Mendy dropped a far wider score to Noakes (120-108 on all three cards) and the Maidstone boxer is aware he did a better job.
“Me getting the shutout win and him losing a few rounds – he only won by three or four didn’t he? I think that fight makes the most sense and if that fight got offered to me I’d grab it with both hands for a world title without doubt.”
Berinchyk captured his first world title by causing a bit of an upset when he beat Mexican Emanuel Navarrete on points in May. Noakes is currently ranked fifth with the WBO but more importantly he and Berinchyk both ply their trade under the Queensberry Promotions banner giving the fight a realistic chance of happening.
