HIGHLY-RANKED lightweight contender Sam Noakes wishes to test himself against a bona fide world level operator before entering his first title shot.
The 27-year-old defended his British strap against battle-hardened veteran Ryan Walsh last December, maintaining his relentless work rate to secure a comprehensive unanimous decision victory.
In that same month, there were rumours of him facing Denys Berinchyk – who held the WBO title – on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury 2.
The Ukrainian, however, went on to collide with Keyshawn Davis instead, losing his belt following a fourth-round stoppage defeat in February.
But still, the fact that he was in the mix to challenge for world honours suggests that Noakes, 16-0 (14 KOs), is not a million miles away from that level.
He is, after all, placed at number two in the WBO lightweight rankings, while also boasting lofty positions with the WBC and IBF.
And while an announcement of his next outing is yet to emerge, the Queensberry Promotions fighter told Boxing News that his ideal return date would be in May.
His promoter, Frank Warren, has two appetizing events – headlined by Anthony Cacace vs Leigh Wood and Josh Taylor vs Ekow Essuman – scheduled for that month.
There have been whispers, too, that the second edition of Warren and Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn’s 5v5 showdown could take place around that time.
And so, should the card materialise, a mouth-watering matchup between Noakes and former world super-featherweight champion Joe Cordina would make a lot of sense, with both fighters seemingly searching for their next opponent.
“I know [Matchroom] have got a few good lightweights so, if that opportunity arises, I’d definitely be up for it,” Noakes told Boxing News when asked about fighting on the potential 5v5 card.
“If [the Cordina] fight ever got offered to us, we would welcome it. Obviously Joe’s a class fighter – his record speaks for itself.
“But I want to test myself against the best and, if that fight does come off, it would be good.”
