Sam Noakes is set to return to big-fight action as the co-main event at London’s O2 Arena on August 29.
The bill is headlined by the heavyweight fight between Moses Itauma and Filip Hrgovic and the front-runner to face the heavy-handed 18-1 (16 KOs) Kent lightweight is Ukraine veteran Denys Berinchyk.
Noakes, 28, last boxed in a rust-shedding exercise in May when he fought on a Top Tier promotion at York Hall, Bethnal Green, in London’s East End, stopping the 17-19-2 Mexican Benito Sanchez Garcia in two rounds.
Before that, in November, Noakes shared a Fight of the Year contender with Abdullah Mason in Saudi Arabia, losing on the cards by 117-111 and twice by 115-113.
Berinchyk turned pro in 2015 and was the former WBO champion, having defeated Emanuel Navarrete for the vacant title before losing it in his first defense to Keyshawn Davis.
Berinchyk, 38, is 19-1 (9 KOs) and boxed in the UK in 2022 when defeating Yvan Mendy on points in London in 2022. His last fight was against Davis, in February 2025.
There is speculation that a Noakes win could lead him to a fight against Welshman Joe Cordina who was recently ruled out of a shot at Mason due to US visa issues.
