Sam Noakes v Ryan Walsh - Tale of the Tape: Weight, height, reach, trainers, records & more

We analyse the credentials and statistics of domestic rivals Sam Noakes and Ryan Walsh as they get set to square-off for the British and Commonwealth lightweight titles in London this weekend.

This Saturday night, British and Commonwealth lightweight champion Sam Noakes defends his belts against Ryan Walsh at Wembley Arena.

Noakes will hope to end his breakout year with a statement win, whilst Walsh, who is well-versed in upsetting the odds, knows this could very well be his last chance to fight for a major title.

Who will prevail?

Before we find out, let's take a look at the 'Tale of The Tape'...

Sam Noakes v Ryan Walsh - Tale of the Tape

	Sam Noakes	Ryan Walsh
Age:	27	38
Nickname:	N/A	N/A
Height:	5ft 8ins	5ft 6ins
Reach:	N/A	N/A
Weight:	Lightweight	Lightweight
Trainer:	Alan Smith	Graham Everett
Record:	15-0 (14 KOs)	29-4-2 (13 KOs)
Last Fight:	Won (KO) v Gianluca Ceglia (Sept 2024)	Won (TKO) v Reece Mould (May 2024)

Sam Noakes - In Profile

Sam Noakes has looked the part in his short career.

Over the course of 15 fights, only one fighter has heard the final bell - that man was Yvan Mendy, who famously defeated Luke Campbell.

Noakes carries the kind of thudding power where every shot hurts. Mendy was wobbled by a punch he caught on his arms.

The Maidstone man has proven to be more than a puncher, displaying thought and craft in his work.

Arguably, Walsh will be the biggest test of his fledgling career.

The Norwich fighter has never been stopped and the 27-year-old has the opportunity to make a real statement by becoming the first man to do so.

The European champion likely has aspirations of getting into the world title mix next year, but will have to overcome the tricky veteran to keep the dream alive.

Strengths:	Weaknesses:
Power	Head falls over front foot
Body shots	Stays in range too long
Combination punching	Open to the uppercut
Applies pressure well	Lack of head movement

Ryan Walsh - In Profile

At 38-years-old and two divisions above his natural fighting weight, the deck is stacked against Ryan Walsh. However, he won't mind.

He has faced hotly-tipped prospects before and upset the odds.

James Tennyson was seen as a power-puncher on the rise when the met in 2016, for the British featherweight title, but, on the night, it was the Norwich fighter’s heavy-hands which were most telling.

It was a similar story when Walsh defended the belt against Reece Belloti.

As recently as September, he proved he is still a threat domestically as he halted Reece Mould inside a round.

In his 16-year career, Walsh has taken the undefeated record of five fighters, and will be confident of making it six when he battles Noakes.

The veteran is well-schooled and has only ever been beaten convincingly by Lee Selby, over a decade ago.

This is a stern test for the novice Noakes.

Strengths:	Weaknesses:
Upper body movement	Can be outworked
Shot selection	Waits too long to let his hands go
Applies pressure	Small at the weight
Body shots	Over-reaches with punches