BROMLEY, England - Over the course of 17 professional fights to date, Sam Noakes has never once been referred to as the underdog.

But with bookmakers agreeing that Abdullah Mason (19-0, 17 KOs) is an odds-on favourite, the puncher from Maidstone has been more than happy to assume the role.

The pair meet for the vacant WBO lightweight title as part of The Ring IV: Night of the Champions event at ANB Arena, Riyadh on November 22.

With a combined record of 36-0 and a total of 32 knockouts between them, it is a clash between the two rising stars of the division. Noakes (17-0, 15 KOs) is the Ring's No. 8-ranked lightweight while Mason (19-0, 17 KOs) is one below him at No. 9.

But 21-year-old Mason has been tipped as a man capable of climbing the pound-for-pound rankings and eventually becoming one of the sport's biggest stars. November 22 represents his first opportunity to win a world title in one of boxing's most competitive divisions.

In some circles, the 28-year-old Noakes has been written off in this particular part of the Mason story but he has used that narrative to fuel him during training camp.

"I'm the B-side, mate," Noakes tells The Ring cheerily. "I'm the B-side without a doubt.

"But listen, that really doesn't bother me at all, if anything it just motivates me more really.

"I'm not that much of a diva that I want to be the A-side and part of me doesn't mind being left alone. Let them make the fuss of him, it's alright, I'll be fine doing my own thing, working away quietly on what I need to do.

"If you're made the underdog, that’s only based on what someone else is thinking isn't it? I'll let them think what they want and then I'll change their opinion come November 22nd, don't worry about that.

"For me it's not as one-sided as the bookies are making it. For me this is a 50-50 fight and if I'm not on the ball and do something stupid he will capitalise on it but it's the same both ways.

"When I watch him I see a winnable fight for me."

Noakes has emerged as one of the most exciting talents in British boxing over the course of his six years as a professional to date. He famously won his first 13 fights inside the distance before needing the full 12 to beat the experienced Yvan Mendy for the European title in April 2024.

The fight between them was the main event on a Queensberry Promotions card but he has never experienced a fight of a similar magnitude to the one that awaits him on November 22.

"We have just been working away here," Noakes says of Al Smith's IBox gym in Bromley, Kent. “As the fight gets closer it is all getting a bit more real now.

"I think it will all really hit home once we get on that plane. As soon as we board that flight that's when it will feel real, when I'm greeted at the airport, when there are all the lights and screens during fight week, that's when I know.

"I'm getting excited thinking about it and I'm just itching to get over there now."

Victory for Noakes would open the door to unification fights with some of the biggest names in boxing but his bid for the WBO belt has been strengthened by the confidence gleaned from sharing the ring with one of them already.

In January, a month after he had beaten domestic rival Ryan Walsh at Wembley Arena, Noakes was enjoying some post-fight downtime over a Chinese meal on a Sunday night when the phone rang. It was Smith who instructed his fighter to be ready to spar the next morning.

Shakur Stevenson, the WBC champion and Ring No. 1, was in town for the Ring awards that weekend and wanted some work. Noakes finished his food and got an early night. The next day, the pair engaged in five four-minute rounds and, although not firing on all cylinders, Noakes left that day confident he was capable of mixing it with the world's elite.

"In hindsight, it couldn't have come at a better time really as it was leading into this fight," he said.

"Obviously I got positive feedback at the end of it so that was good all round. It was a good turning point for me because I had just fought and was sitting there having a Chinese on the Sunday and Al says I'm sparring the next day."

"I feel like the first few rounds were cagey but then obviously it was a competitive spar from then on, that has come at a great time. Now I'm looking forward to getting in there and having it again.

"It's a good box-ticker isn't it? Especially given the fact that I wasn't even in camp, I wasn't training, it was just after Christmas. So to hold my own in those circumstances has to be a good thing. We always knew where we were anyway and we know we’re meant to be here and get that title.

"November 22 is such a big event that everyone's going to be watching so when I produce the performance I think I'm going to produce then the world can judge me after that."