The Natural Born Thriller card at London’s O2 Arena on August 29, 2026 delivers an outstanding lightweight matchup in Sam “Midge” Noakes (18-1) versus Denis Berinchyk (19-1), a former WBO super featherweight world champion who has operated at the very top of the junior lightweight and lightweight divisions. For Noakes, this is the biggest test of his career. For Berinchyk, it is a statement opportunity on British soil after the knockout loss to Keyshawn Davis last year. Promoted by Queensberry Promotions and broadcast on DAZN, this 10-round lightweight contest deserves more attention than its undercard billing suggests.
| Date | Saturday, August 29, 2026 |
| Venue | O2 Arena, Greenwich, London |
| Promotion | Queensberry Promotions |
| Broadcast | DAZN |
| Division | Lightweight (135 lbs) |
| Scheduled Rounds | 10 × 3 minutes |
Sam “Midge” Noakes (18-1) is 29 years old, born in 1997 and based in Maidstone, Kent. He stands 5’8” (173cm) and fights as an orthodox lightweight. He turned professional in 2019 and has built a solid domestic record, culminating in a unanimous decision over Ryan Walsh over twelve rounds in December 2024 — a meaningful scalp that demonstrated he can operate at championship distance.
His record shows a single loss: a unanimous decision against Abdullah Mason, who he challenged at a high level. Both of Noakes’s significant step-up fights have come in twelve-round contests, and his willingness to test himself against quality opposition speaks well of his development. He is the 90% favourite with the Tapology community and is priced at -400 on US moneylines.
Noakes has 80 professional rounds on his ledger — useful mileage for a 29-year-old who has never been stopped.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Method | Rnd |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Benito Garcia | W | Corner Stoppage | R2 |
| — | Abdullah Mason | L | UD | R12 |
| Dec 2024 | Ryan Walsh | W | UD | R12 |
| Sep 2024 | Opponent | W | RTD | R8 |
| Apr 2024 | Opponent | W | UD | R12 |
Denis Berinchyk (19-1) is 38 years old, born in Ukraine in May 1988 and fighting out of Kyiv. He stands 5’7” (170cm) with a 68” (173cm) reach and fights orthodox. He is a bronze medallist at the 2012 London Olympics and a former WBO super featherweight world champion — credentials that make him a genuine world-level name despite his current undercard billing.
His professional highlight came with a split decision upset over Emanuel Navarrete in May 2024, a result that stunned the lightweight world and briefly installed him as a title holder. That title reign ended with a fourth-round knockout loss to Keyshawn Davis in February 2025, and Berinchyk arrives here still carrying the punch resistance questions raised by that defeat. He is 38 years old — entering the final phase of a distinguished career — but his southpaw footwork and volume punching remain genuinely elite at this level.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Method | Rnd |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2025 | Keyshawn Davis | L | KO | R4 |
| May 2024 | Emanuel Navarrete | W | SD | R12 |
| Aug 2023 | Anthony Yigit | W | UD | R12 |
| Dec 2022 | Opponent | W | UD | R12 |
| Dec 2021 | Opponent | W | UD | R12 |
| Noakes | Berinchyk | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 29 | 38 |
| Record | 18-1 | 19-1 |
| Height | 5’8” / 173cm | 5’7” / 170cm |
| Reach | — | 68” / 173cm |
| Stance | Orthodox | Orthodox |
| Nationality | England | Ukraine |
| Rounds Fought | 80 | 158+ |
This is a genuinely interesting matchup of contrasting stages in a fighter’s career. Noakes is at 29, coming into his prime; Berinchyk is at 38, world-class but on the descending arc.
Noakes is the physically fresher fighter with fewer rounds on the clock. His 80 professional rounds compare favourably to the 158+ that Berinchyk has accumulated, and the Maidstone man’s work rate and pressure should be key tools. He has already demonstrated he can go twelve championship rounds against quality domestic opposition.
Berinchyk brings elite technical credentials that no domestic opponent can match. His split decision win over Navarrete — one of the best lightweights of the era — is the calling card of a fighter who, at his best, is world class. His southpaw movement and sharp combinations from distance have troubled far more experienced opponents than Noakes.
The question is whether Berinchyk at 38, post-Davis knockout, still has the chin and pace to impose his quality. The Davis KO was brutal and raises the question of whether Noakes’s pressure punching — applied consistently for ten rounds — can find similar vulnerabilities.
Noakes is a -400 favourite with Berinchyk at +280. The market reflects the age and chin concerns around Berinchyk following the Davis knockout, and Noakes’s youth and 90-fight support from the Tapology community.
Berinchyk’s world-class credentials make this closer than the odds suggest on paper. A sharp Berinchyk who has recovered mentally and physically from the Davis fight could give Noakes serious problems. But the trend in career arcs and the physical freshness argument favours the home fighter here.
Prediction: Sam Noakes by unanimous decision. Noakes’s higher work rate, fresher legs and home advantage see him edge the decisions over ten rounds. Berinchyk will have his moments — particularly in the early rounds — but Noakes’s sustained pressure wears down the older champion.
UK: DAZN — undercard begins approximately 3pm BST US: DAZN — undercard begins approximately 10am ET
Has Denis Berinchyk been a world champion? Yes. Berinchyk won the WBO super featherweight world title with a split decision upset over Emanuel Navarrete in May 2024. He lost the title to Keyshawn Davis by fourth-round knockout in February 2025.
What is Sam Noakes’s record? 18-1 at the time of this fight. His only defeat was a unanimous decision loss to Abdullah Mason.
Is this fight for a title? No — this is a 10-round lightweight contest at 135 lbs, with no title on the line.
Where is Sam Noakes from? Sam Noakes is from Maidstone, Kent, England.
What is Denis Berinchyk’s nationality? Ukrainian. He was born in Ukraine in May 1988, and was a bronze medallist at the 2012 London Olympics.
Who is the favourite? Sam Noakes is favoured at -400 on US moneylines, with Berinchyk at +280.
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