Sam Noakes vs. Abdullah Mason
Date: Saturday, November 22nd, 2018 at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Sam Noakes has since resurrected his career to win the world title. He used to work on the railroads and do marathons on whim.
And it is all at the hands of mother Sharon, who sent him to the gym when he was a young adult with too much energy.
This weekend in Saudi Arabia, Maidstone’s Noakes, 28, takes on unbeaten American Abdullah Mason for the vacant WBO lightweight title.
Noakes hopes that Mason’s mother won’t be able to contact the Ohio southpaw if he extends his own unbeaten run and suffers his first defeat in the match-up with the Kent boxer, but it’s his chance to fulfill his ambition to become a world champion.
Noakes’s mother, who is also a professional fighter, has a few more fans than his older brother Sean, who also watches his opponents.
Sharon searched for the Plymouth journeyman on Facebook after he defeated Chris Adaway in his professional debut.
Noakes tells BBC Sport that she and Chris bumped into him again around the middle of their fight and he responded, “Your mum messaged me.”
I called my mother and said, “You can’t be doing this, but I didn’t know what he was talking about.” She witnessed his most recent conflict.
She is undoubtedly a Chris Adaway fan because they have become close friends. possibly more powerful than she is a fan of me.
She has, thankfully, stopped doing it. I don’t want her messaging Mason, even if I win the world title against him.
- a day ago
Running, railroads, and roofing
Sharon encouraged her sons to box, and she will be at the ringside in Riyadh alongside Noakes’ father John. Soon after graduating from Westree Boxing Club in Maidstone, Noakes won the ABAs in April 2019.
He was invited to Billy Joe Saunders’ WBO super-middleweight title match with Shefat Isufi in Stevenage a month later when Francis Warren, the son of hall of fame promoter Frank, told him he wanted to manage his career.
Noakes turned his attention away from his workdays, working as a roofer, and in fast-food restaurants, to become a professional.
Noakes remarked, “Thinking about those jobs is what keeps me working hard in the gym.” I’m not interested in returning to that.
“It was hard graft, but I did it in fair weather.” You wouldn’t see me if it rained.
When it rains on a roof, you can get back in the van, but you can’t when it’s tough.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Noakes had three professional fights and had to temporarily return to work, helping out his brother as a “strapper’s assistant” on the railroad when power was cut to allow electrical line maintenance.
Noakes claimed that the van spent a lot of time.
He would consume snacks and devised a plan to run a marathon the following day to burn them off after one night with a few too many treats.
He said, “I was going to run 20 miles because I felt bad after consuming a lot of garbage.”
Then someone said, “Why don’t you run if you’re going to go that far?”
So I set out for the 26.2 miles with a friend. “I completed it in three and a half hours.
Elite sparring gives people more confidence.
Noakes has won the British, Commonwealth, and European titles after climbing the ladder using the traditional route. He is unbeaten in 17 fights.
He now takes on the highly regarded Mason, who has a remarkable record of 17 stoppage victories in his 19 victories, while Noakes has stopped 15 of his 17 opponents at the international level.
When the pair sparred earlier this year in London, Noakes and WBC champion Shakur Stevenson have already shared the ring.
Noakes now has the assurance that he belongs with the elite before his chance to win the world title on Saturday night in Riyadh, which will feature David Benavidez’s WBC light-heavyweight showdown with Anthony Yarde.
Noakes remarked, “It was brilliant to get the feedback we received from Stevenson [a person who knows what they’re talking about.”
They were also good, lively rounds. Really, it couldn’t have come at a better time for me. It gave me the assurance that I could combine it with the very best.
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