Sean Noakes Scouting Report

Sean Noakes

Age: 27Kent, UK

Conventional

Height 5"11

Reach  73

Welterweight4-0 (2) 

Fights Scouted: Lee Hallett, MJ Hall, Petar Aleksandrov

Sean Nokes is the older brother of youtube prospect Sam Noakes after a successful amateur career. He has started off 4-0 (2) against increasingly difficult opposition. He is already fighting 6-rounders, and given his age, 27, he will likely be moved along rather quickly.

Strengths: He has excellent size and strength for a 147-pounder. At nearly 6'foot tall, he is solidly built. He is reasonably athletic, but he draws comparisons to Zach Wilson or Johnny Manziel. Athletic for sure, but there's nothing next level about their athleticism, and they can't survive on that being their primary strength.  He is a project, he puts punches together quite well. He has a quick jab which is a bit snappy. His basic 1-2 is sharp from the outside. He looks to predominantly set up his right hand and wants to load up on that right hand. That's quite clear that his game plan is to score with a big right. It's not without good reason. He is extremely accurate with the right hand for his level. It also has pretty good [pop behind it. However, like his athleticism, his power isn't good but not good enough to survive off of. 

He is very heavy on the front foot and likes to come forward. He hasn't fought anyone in the three fights I scouted that could really stand up or was really willing to stand in with him. So he can steamroll the current level of opposition. Whether or not that will stand up against the next level of fighters is yet to be determined. He has very good feet, his fundamental footwork is really good. He's not off-balanced ever and does not cross his feet.  He slips his head and moves out of the line of fire quite well. Most of his defense is built off him moving his head. He can also fire shots from interesting angels, and he's sneaky quick. He looks like a big load that might be slow and plotting but he's actually a bit quicker than he appears and has reasonably quick feet.  He has shown marked improvements in cutting off the ring just from his first to third pro fight. Which suggests he is very coachable and a fast learner. He is currently trained by Micky Burke Sr, and that seems to be a good fit. He is progressing with each fight which is what you look for in a prospect. 

Weaknesses:  He is really a master of nothing, he's a decent athlete, not a premier athlete, and he has decent power but nothing earth-shattering. His footwork is fundamentally sound and his feet are relatively quick, but he is flawed defensively. He carries his hand's law, he is super susceptible to a counter left hook, he comes charging in the front door and is waiting to be countered. He gets hot A LOT! He couldn't get rid of Petar Aleksandrov who had been stopped seven times including in his previous outing again 11-1 fringe contender  Danny Ball. This suggests his firepower and pop are nothing next level. He is way too reliant on scoring with his right hand, He tries to set it up like he's Deontay Wilder when in reality he just has decent, not lethal pop. He needs to make the decision to dedicate himself to being a body puncher, he doesn't commit to the body and his best shot and making it to the world level is wearing people down and using his physical strength to break his man down that has to be coupled with body world. He also has a very wide base. We've seen it work, but if he tightened it up would his power improve? it's certainly worth exploring. 

He needs to be busier again, his power is decent, but it's not one-punch power. He needs to set things up and break down opponets. His offense needs to be his defense. That starts with firing off that quick and snappy jab. He needs to get busier in general and commit to the body. He is defensively not good. He needs his offense to be his defense! 

Overall Rating: He's a project. There are many things, mainly offensively you like about him. He is a jack of many trades and is willing to learn and improve. That's the good news. The bad news is he is already 27 years old and Burke Sr does appear to be doing a good job sharpening him. However, he is limited by his age. He's inexperienced but he's not young and he is a master of nothing. He can certainly be molded into a fun fighter and at a domestic level, he can be a crowd-favorite style. He can grow a fan base and make fun fights due to his defensive flaws, and offensive style, and having good but not great power that he is in love with, but it basically ends there. He is a fringe contender/domestic-level fighter who can be used as an opponent to test top-notch opposition and force them to work and earn their W's. That's Noakes ceiling.