Sam Noakes faces Yvan Mendy for the vacant European lightweight title today at London’s historic York Hall.
The action starts at 2:45 pm ET (7:45 pm local in the UK) on TNT Sports in the United Kingdom. There is no ESPN+ stream or anything for this show, so if you’re in the States and want to watch, happy hunting.
We won’t have the usual live coverage, but the comments are open for those of you watching the fights.
You likely will recall the 38-year-old Mendy (48-6-1, 22 KO) from his 2015 (!) upset of then-undefeated Luke Campbell. Mendy didn’t do a whole lot with that win, returning to rings in France until a 2018 rematch with Campbell, who avenged the defeat clearly.
Since the loss to Campbell, Mendy has gone 8-1, but also has played it safe with his opposition, other than a loss to Denys Berinchyk at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in late 2022. He fought once last year, defeating unbeaten-but-unproven Bastien Ballesta via split decision in May, so it’s been nearly a year since his last fight.
Noakes (13-0, 13 KO), 26, is one of the more intriguing young fighters in the United Kingdom, a guy who has racked up knockouts on his way up, showing some real power. Last time out in February, he stopped Lewis Sylvester in the fourth round to win the British title, adding to the Commonwealth belt he won a year ago. He’s clearly looking to march forward and claim the European belt here as he works his way toward world-level fights.
Also on the card: Super lightweight prospect Henry Turner returns against Maykol Mendoza in a WBC trinket fight, plus more!