Sam Noakes exclusive: I’m looking forward to getting back in there
Over the past eight months, Sam Noakes’s feet haven’t touched the ground.
The exciting 27-year-old has racked up three wins, collected the British, Commonwealth and European lightweight titles and scored a career best victory over the respected Yvan Mendy.
After the win over Mendy, Noakes, 14-0 (13 KOs), finally had time for a little R&R and a little globetrotting but whilst he spent a couple of weeks happily forgetting all about boxing, he soon found himself thumbing through his phone, pining for the pain of an 800m internal running session.
“I’ve had a little time between fights. I’ve had a good little bit of downtime. It’s been nice but I’m sort of looking forward to getting back in there now. It’s the thing, you always want a bit of downtime, and then you get a bit and you want to fight. You’re never happy,” Noakes told 32Red.
“Camps are quite intense”
“We’re all quite close in the gym. Obviously, I see what’s happening when I’m away and everyone’s doing track, they’re training, they’re sparring, they’re all together, everyone’s having a laugh. And I’m like, ‘Oh, I sort of want to be back now.’
“I think the downtime is key. This is where the fights are getting harder and harder and, obviously, camps are quite intense as well. So, it’s just good to have that little bit of a break in between. It’s all nice and well rested and just ready to go, really.”
Although his star has risen quickly, Noakes isn’t the type of fighter to consolidate or rest on his laurels. His fighting style is based on moving forward relentlessly, taking risks and breaking people down. He is approaching his career in much the same way and doesn’t want to stand still. Having won all the major domestic titles and conquering Europe, he has set his sights on world honours but he is aware that he will need to tread a little more carefully.
“Oh yeah, definitely. I think, obviously, it’d be nice to get a world title shot next year,” he said.
“I think that’s all that we want but obviously, you’ve got to do your learning fights. You can’t just jump or skip a level otherwise you can come unstuck. I’m kind of happy with the approach that we’re having with me, Al [Smith, his trainer] and Francis [Warren, his manager] but we’re just taking it one step at a time.
“Obviously, we’ve got the mandatory challenge up in the next fight and then I don’t know what the plan is after that so, just keep pushing on where we can, really.
“I think the whole training has just been brilliant this camp. I’ve felt really good and I’m just looking forward to getting in there and everyone seeing the progression.”
“I don’t want him to run away”
That mandatory challenger is Italy’s Gianluca Ceglia who Noakes defends his European title against at London’s York Hall on Friday night. The twelve round decision win over Mendy was the first time Noakes has been forced to go the distance in his entire career and he is itching for another knockout. For all the latest fight odds, visit our sportsbook.
Italian visitors tend to be aggressive, ambitious challengers and Ceglia will be desperate to win the belt after losing a previous challenge to Mendy a couple of years ago. That determination could play into Noakes’ hands.
“Well, I think that’s what he’s going to do and, to be honest, I welcome it,” Noakes said. “That’s what I want. I don’t want him to run away. I want him to try and hold his feet and then to come on to stuff, really.”
If he can score another eye-catching knockout, Noakes’ star will rise even higher, as will his world ranking. He already has high ratings with the WBO and the WBC and whilst the lightweight division is home to elite fighters like Teofimo Lopez, Shakur Stevenson, Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis and Vasyl Lomachenko, Noakes enjoys seeing his name in such company and would love a crack at a major name in the not too distant future.
“Obviously, you can’t take away that the top five are incredible fighters,” he said. “Fighters that I’ve always watched. But I can put my hand on my heart and say that if any of them fights ever come up and the opportunity ever arose, I would take it with both hands.”
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