Frank Warren has vowed to deliver for Sam Noakes another lightweight world-title fight in 2026.
The impressive Noakes enhanced his reputation despite his defeat by Abdullah Mason when he gave the promising Mason his toughest test and ignored being cut in the fifth round to remain competitive until the final bell.
Their contest for the WBO title represented both fighters’ first for world honours. It also represented the 28-year-old Noakes’ first defeat, but after watching him prove himself despite his status as the significant underdog, his promoter is determined to see him fight for and win a title as soon as he can.
“Without a doubt,” Warren told BoxingScene when asked if that fight could happen in 2026. “I’ll make sure that happens.
“I’ll call him later [on Monday].
“He won’t fight ‘till April anyway. Let’s see what’s around and what’s available.
“He suffered a bad cut very early in the fight, and that gave him a problem – there’s no doubt about that. [But] there weren’t nothing in that fight – I thought there was just a couple of rounds in it, and if he’d have won the last couple of rounds I think it could have been his fight, but he boxed extremely well.
“I know he’s a good fighter – I’ve been banging on about what a good fighter he is for a while now, and he showed that. He showed that in a big way. Moving forward, I believe he has winning a world title in him.
“Fights like that can give you confidence in yourself. I thought he boxed extremely well. He’s not disgraced himself, and we’re all quite proud of his performance.”
It is Warren’s son Francis who is Noakes’ manager. Since the entertaining fight at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, it has also been reported that Turki Alalshikh wants Noakes to fight on a Riyadh Season promotion again.
“I was there when he said that,” confirmed Frank. “But who wouldn’t? When’s Sam ever been in a bad fight?
“Sam’s fight was the fight of the night. He’s come through and shown what he’s all about. He’s up there and he’s a good fighter.”
