Fighters are always looking for ways to connect with boxing fans and widen their appeal. These days, more and more take their act to social media but there are a couple of tried and tested ways of building a fanbase.
Finishing fights is a sure-fire way to get more eyes on you and a good old-fashioned rivalry also guarantees plenty of attention.
Commonwealth lightweight champion, Sam Noakes, has both bases covered.
The unbeaten 26-year-old from Kent has built a reputation as a risk taking, crowd pleasing fighter and he also has an exciting future opponent as a promotional stablemate.
Noakes has finished all 11 of his fights inside the distance and will look to continue that streak when he takes Carlos Perez this Friday night. His lightweight rival, Mark Chamberlain, has stopped 10 of his 14 opponents and the tall southpaw scored an exciting tenth round knockout of the decent Artjoms Ramlavs last week.
Noakes and Chamberlain have been on a collision course since the very early stages of their careers but talk about a potential fight has intensified in recent months. Until they settle matters in the ring, both fighters will inevitably be asked more questions about each other than the opponent they are currently getting ready to face. Noakes understands the interest and tuned into watch Chamberlain’s fight with Ramlavs.
“It don’t drive me mad when it looks like it might actually happen. More so two years ago when people were asking me,” Noakes told BoxingScene.com.
“He just showed what I already knew really. If that back hand don’t affect somebody early, he sort of struggles a bit. Obviously he got the geezer out of there in good fashion and Ramlavs ain’t no mug but I just think from my prospective – and I’m not gonna say what I’ve seen and what’s gonna work for me in my favor, I’ll just keep it a bit closer to my chest – but I think if I was in there with him he wouldn’t be allowed to get away with it as much. That geezer’s [Ramlavs] came up from super featherweight and can’t really be much of a puncher.”