Conor Benn Improves to 17-0 at the Expense of Sebastian Formella

Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing promoted a little 5-bout show today with no fans in attendance at Wembley Arena. Conor Benn, the 24-year-old son of former two-division world title-holder Nigel Benn, was pitted against Germany’s Sebastian Formella in the main event, a welterweight contest slated for 10 rounds.

The German’s most recent bout was in the U.S. against Shawn Porter. Formella took a lot of punishment while losing every round, but showed a lot of fortitude while lasting the distance. Tonight’s bout followed a similar tack.

Benn, who has been brought along slowly and is making steady progress, controlled the distance with a sharp jab and was simply too quick for him. Formella, now 22-2 (10), lacks a hard punch but has a granite chin and there is no quit in him.

The judges had it 100-91, 99-91, 99-92. Benn, 17-0 (11), didn’t get the stoppage but showed that he is ready to take on a more daunting assignment.

Other Bouts

Two of the four preliminaries were heavyweight fights won in impressive fashion by boxers who learned the game sparring with Dillian Whyte and who are now managed by him. Fabio Wardley, despite having no amateur experience, is the most advanced and tonight Wardley, six-foot-five and 230 pounds, advanced his record to 10-0 with his ninth straight knockout.

Wardley finished Ghana’s Richard Lartey off in the second round with a brutal left-right combination. Lartey was attended to by ringside physicians and given oxygen before he left the ring. It was the third straight loss for Lartey (14-4) who was subbing for Lucas Browne. The official time was 1:22.

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It was bombs away when Alen Babic, 6-0 (6 KOs) fought Tom Little (10-9) and Babic, five inches shorter and 21 pounds lighter, ultimately bombed Little out in the third stanza. He had Little down twice before the referee waived it off at the 2:58 mark.

Babic, who was given the nickname “Savage” by Whyte, is very unrefined but makes up for his “barroom brawler” style with a relentless attack. In his six fights, the Croatian, who turned 30 earlier this week, has answered the bell for only 13 rounds. Little, a 33-year-old Traveler who was raised in the same little community as Billy Joe Saunders, lost his fifth straight inside the distance.

Photo credit: Sky Sports

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