Conor Benn defeats Sebastian Formella, proves he’s a legit contender

Conor Benn was the headliner and had a tough opponent in front of him, but he proved his legitimacy with a commanding win over Sebastian Formella. 

Welterweight boxer Conor Benn came into his Saturday, Nov. 21 contest with Sebastian Formella with a chip on his shoulder, and his performance answered a lot of questions.

Benn (17-0, 11 KOs) receives a lot of attention because he’s the son of super middleweight boxing great Nigel Benn. It’s not easy for a child to try to live up to their famous parent’s accomplishments, and it’s not fair to make the comparison, but it happens anyway. Benn had a lot of pressure on his shoulders, but he took Formella to school and showed that he’s a skilled boxer with loads of potential.

Formella (22-2, 10 KOs) made a name for himself in August when he went the distance with former champion Shawn Porter. Formella was a huge underdog, but he took Porter’s best punches and kept fighting from start to finish.

Coming into his bout with Formella, Benn had an undefeated record but hadn’t fought a noteworthy opponent. He said earlier in the week that he has evolved as a boxer.

“When I turned pro, it was fun and jokes,” said Benn. ‘It was enjoying the ride. When I got signed by Matchroom, it was all hype. And then it got real. As I went through the levels, there were certain things that showed that I needed working on.”

Formella was rated as the 27th best welterweight in the world by Boxrec.com, while they had Benn at 59. Those numbers are sure to change after his controlled win over Formella.

Conor Benn looked like a true welterweight contender with his dominant win over Sebastian Formella

The fight was never in doubt for Benn. From the opening bell, Benn was more aggressive and flashed the faster hands. He’s known to be a brawler, but against Formella, Benn looked like a well-rounded boxer.

Benn mixed in punches to Formella’s body and head, but his right uppercut repeatedly landed. Between rounds 2 and 3, Formella’s nose trickled blood, which developed into a steady stream throughout the fight.

Formella deserves credit. When Benn attacked during the second half of the bout, Formella counter-attacked, but his lack of power showed. Benn was never threatened and walked through Formella’s punches.

Formella was in trouble in round 9. Benn landed numerous uppercuts with Formella on the ropes, and Formella’s left eye was black and blue.

The matchup went all ten rounds, but Benn won by unanimous decision. He boxed, rolled his shoulders well defensively, and was accurate with his punches. It was a complete performance by Benn, who took his boxing game to a new level.