York Hall - Sam Noakes (12-0, 12 KO’s) maintained his 100% stoppage ratio with a one sided finish off Spain’s Carlos Perez (19-8-2, 2 KO’s) at lightweight. 

Clearly wary of Noakes’ reputation as a finisher, Perez appeared to have very little interest in fighting. He stepped in to clinch whenever he could and was bundled to the canvas twice in the opening round. Perez dropped to the canvas during one clinch and rolled about holding the back of his head. Referee, Mark Lyson, correctly picked him up off the canvas and told him to get on with things. 

Lyson brought the fighters together early in the second, warning them to cut out the holding and fight and just moments later, read the riot act to Perez who kept turning his back and dropping to his knees. Noakes wasn’t making Perez pay for stepping into range but finally found a bit of room and landed a clean left hook and followed it up with a well picked left hook to the body. Perez again fell into a clinch and dropped to the floor. When he got up he had a bad cut over his left eye, likely caused by a Noakes forearm as things got messy instead.

Noakes was much too strong and began to find room to land short hurtful short punches up close, his left hook doing real damage. Eventually, Perez had a point taken away for persistent holding and Noakes made the most of the extra room. Perez was battered to the canvas by hooks and uppercuts. Perez was just not sturdy enough to stand up to the assaults.

Paerez went down again at the start of the fourth round courtesy of another right hand and when Noakes landed another almost identical shot to the same spot, he dropped to the canvas yet again. Lyson decided enough was enough and stopped the fight after 1.16 of the fourth. 

Commonwealth champion, Noakes, successfully defending his WBC International silver title and will look towards a big domestic showdown with heavy handed rival Mark Chamberlain in 2024.