Mark Chamberlain is ranked in the top-10 by three of the four major recognised world sanctioning bodies, unbeaten with two stoppages on Riyadh Season cards this year and plots a third on home soil to kick off a busy five-fight undercard preceding Joshua-Dubois as 96,000 will find their way into Wembley for a sellout show. Sam Noakes speculation still lingers but he doesn’t care.
Chamberlain looks to make it three for 2024
Mark Chamberlain (16-0, 12 KOs) vs. Josh Padley (14-0, 4 KOs)
A ten-round duel between unbeaten lightweights on Joshua-Dubois undercard
Chamberlain ranked #5 by IBF, #6 by WBC, #8 by WBO at 135lbs
Writer’s note: The bulk of this piece was written back in May after Mark Chamberlain’s first-round knockout win on Saudi shores. It has since been edited and added to over the last fortnight, following recent developments and comments related to the story.
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA — The look on his face and change in tone was subtle but unmistakable. The question wasn’t finished but the Portsmouth boxer sensed where it was going and responded with a bullish message, frustration sprinkled in too.
Mark Chamberlain had just finished another early night’s work, blasting beyond overmatched opponent Joshua Oluwaseun Wahab on the Fury-Usyk undercard but rather than bask in a vicious victory, this journalist instead wanted to ask about domestic rival Sam Noakes. Had he watched his April 20 win over Yvan Mendy and if so, what were his thoughts? After all, Frank Warren had told me….
“No, I didn’t bother watching and don’t really know to be honest… we’re on different paths and it’s clear now, if it happens then great but I don’t really care, we have different titles and I believe I’m miles above him now so. I’ll leave it all [the matchmaking] to Queensberry, just see what they have to say.”
He said he’d been in camp for 17-18 weeks by May 18 so needed a break to switch off, finishing by saying activity was key to push forward. Since gritting his teeth against Artjoms Ramlavs last November, his strength of schedule has flattered to deceive.
Why? Gavin Gwynne, then British and EBU European lightweight champion, was losing through eight rounds before Emiliano Marsili retired with an injured right shoulder during their Dec. 1 bout. The 34-year-old Welshman returned in March, his quickest turnaround between fights since 2019 and while he’s teased fight news in recent weeks, nothing has been announced. Oluwaseun Wahab hadn’t boxed for 14 months and is a career super-featherweight, so was noticeably undersized.
Plans can and do change at will, so there’s little point forecasting future bouts – this one feels inevitable at some stage, though the seasoning builds on its own as both continue succeeding in their respective journeys before meeting at a crossroads.
That’s certainly the case with Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois this weekend, at different stages of their career but having rebuilt after high-profile disappointment. Both have done so and now an all-British world heavyweight title showdown awaits.
Noakes, for what it’s worth, has insisted he’d be open to the fight materialising by year’s end in a series of conversations with me over recent months, though their respective teams must agree the risk vs. reward is worth taking before signing off on prospective negotiations. Both find themselves in favourable positions right now.
Everyone wants Berinchyk, but patience needed
The world title picture and rankings for both
WBO: Denys Berinchyk — Noakes #5, Chamberlain #8
IBF: Vasiliy Lomachenko — Chamberlain #5, Noakes #15
WBA: Gervonta Davis — neither are ranked in top-15
WBC: Shakur Stevenson — Chamberlain #6, Noakes #11
Chamberlain bristled at the mere suggestion of a Noakes matchup, saying they’re clearly on two different paths, though reports this week claim he’s a frontrunner to box new WBO world champion Denys Berinchyk, for a sanctioning body title where Noakes holds the higher ranking. Talk about opportunistic overlap, if true.
It’s hard not to get excited seeing both, Chamberlain having crunched a pair of memorable stoppage wins – first against Gavin Gwynne, then Wahab – whose left hand dropped the Nigerian before a one-two sequence ended proceedings with a scary knockout without breaking sweat nor loading up inside three minutes.
British heavyweight challenger Frazer Clarke, embracing his analyst role said he’d like to see Chamberlain box three more fights in twelve months, win them all and we’ll see where he stands this time next summer – likening his situation to that of Matchroom’s unbeaten light-welterweight contender Dalton Smith (16-0, 12 KOs).
The same rhetoric has been used to evaluate where next for Noakes, having defended his European title with an anticlimactic stoppage win over mandatory challenger Gianluca Ceglia earlier this month. It’s one thing being skyrocketed to world level, but another thing to remain there long-term – smart matchmaking helps.
The month before Noakes’ win to headline a York Hall show on Sept. 6, Warren reaffirmed a desire to see a matchup between rising stars within his promotional stable finding their footing in a dangerous division at some stage – ideally for world honours. Per BoxingScene’s John Evans, the Hall of Fame promoter said:
“He [Noakes] is one of the guys we all like at Queensberry, there are some big fights to be made for him down the road. Him and Mark Chamberlain is a fight I’m sure over the next 12 months is going to build into being a monster.
[Sam]’s a top-10 rated fighter, going places, I really do think and believe he’s capable of winning a world title. They’re there to be able to go and do it, both of them… it’d be nice if they could both win a world title and then have a unification, that’d be my dream.”
Mark’s masterful momentum means he figures to have more favourable opportunities than Noakes, two years his senior, though that could change at a moment’s notice. Josh Padley has only beaten three boxers with .500 records or better and been exclusively on the small-hall circuit, but how will he fare here?
Riyadh Season: Wembley Edition card, is as follows
All fights are 12-round bouts unless stated
Daniel Dubois (c) vs. Anthony Joshua for IBF world heavyweight title
Tyler Denny (c) vs. Hamzah Sheeraz for EBU European middleweight title
Joshua Buatsi vs. Willy Hutchinson for WBO interim world light-heavyweight title
Anthony Cacace (c) vs. Josh Warrington for IBO world super-featherweight title, Cacace’s IBF strap not on the line but if he loses, will become vacant
Middleweight: Josh Kelly vs. Ishmael Davis, stepping up on a week’s notice after Liam Smith withdrew through illness
10 rounds at lightweight: Mark Chamberlain vs. Josh Padley
Picture source: Getty Images, quotes procured by me unless stated
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