Six months have passed since the French junior middleweight lost his unbeaten record against Ermal Hadribeaj and now he'll face fellow contender Uisma Lima at the Palais des Sports Marcel-Cerdan, in Paris, France.

"I wasn't at my best [against Hadribeaj], following an overly long preparation period caused by everything that happened—events being canceled, then postponed, and so on," Samake (19-1, 11 KOs) told The Ring.

Samake was due to face Hadribeaj on April 25 in the chief support to Lawrence Okolie-Tony Yoka, which was canceled during fight week when Okolie failed a doping test. The former WBO cruiserweight champion has subsequently been cleared by the sanctioning body and since reinstated top of the heavyweight rankings.

"Managing my weight to ensure I maintain my physical capabilities for combat is now my top priority. I'm taking this very seriously from here on out, fully aware that I missed a great opportunity by not being myself that day."

The 23-year-old says losing wasn't what bothered him the most.

"I wasn't obsessed with remaining undefeated; rather, I was focused on always giving my absolute best—which wasn't the case that evening," he said. "This defeat helped me refocus and gave me an even greater hunger to win."

Rather than make wholesale changes after suffering defeat, Samake has doubled down on his diet and nutrition to ensure he is in optimum condition.

He intends to showcase that against Lima, who despite being blown away by pound-for-pound star Jaron Ennis inside one round in October 2025, has since returned with two wins.

"Lima is a very good fighter, but he’s come along at the wrong time; after my defeat," he warned. "I'm more ready than ever, and I don’t think he’s ever had to face a fighter like me."

Samake concurs that Lima isn't an easy comeback opponent but a necessary evil if he is to climb back onto the world stage.

"I am not intimidated by Lima, despite his quality as a boxer," he said. "My team and I could have opted for an easier fight, but we chose a top 10 world-ranked opponent to send a message to the world and show that we fear no one—and, most importantly, to get back on track toward our goal of securing a world title shot."

Former opponent Hadribeaj came up short against Sebastian Fundora in his WBC junior middleweight title shot on October 18 but had his moments, especially earlier in his title attempt. It would be fair to suggest, given Samake's own performance, the fact he made a fight of it shows he can contend and mix it against world-class opposition.

Rather than think it however, Samake feels he already knows his level.

"I know I'm at a world-class level—based on my experience, as well as the sparring sessions I've done abroad that weren't filmed. I just need someone to give me a chance."

Writer's view: This homecoming fight presents Samake the chance to show he belongs. If not at his best, Lima could well present a banana skin, but Samake should prevail and how well he does will give us an inkling into where he is after the Hadribeaj defeat.

Lima (16-2, 11 KOs) turned professional aged 26 in 2019. The Angola-born boxer won his first 10 fights before tasting defeat for the first time in June 2023 over 10 rounds against unbeaten Aaron McKenna in the UK.

The 33-year-old has bounced back with a vengeance, beating Araik Marutjan (UD 8) and then unbeaten trio Haro Matevosyan (RTD 10), Sukhdeep Singh Bhatti (UD 12) and Shervantaigh Koopman (TKO 9) in their home countries. 

The Ennis loss set him back, but he took Souleimane Mohammedi's unbeaten record with a ninth-round stoppage on April 25.