Sebastian Formella vs Shawn Porter on August 22
Sebastian Formella against Shawn Porter on August 22 in Los Angeles.
There are offers that no one can refuse. Sebastian Formella has given his heart and soul to boxing for two decades in order to finally prove his skills in the premier class. Now, after years of hard work, "Hafen-Basti" is getting the chance to show the boxing world. On August 22, he will fight the main fight in Los Angeles as part of a "PBC on Fox" event. There he will face none other than "Showtime" Shawn Porter - former world champion and one of the 5 best welterweights in the world.
This was made possible by promoter Erol Ceylan from EC Boxing, who used his close contacts in the USA and organised everything: "When my promoter Erol Ceylan called me, I immediately said yes - without knowing the details. Porter is one of the absolute best in the world and I have great respect for him, but I'm not travelling to the USA to lose," explains Formella. The 33-year-old is currently in Istanbul, where he is gradually approaching his top physical form.
Erol Ceylan, meanwhile, is absolutely ecstatic: "This is the Champions League of boxing. We've been working towards this goal with Sebastian ever since he signed with us. Winning the IBO World Championship last year was already a major highlight, but this is the next level."
In July 2019, Formella dethroned world champion Tulani Mbenge in his hometown of Hamburg and had the latter's gold strapped around his waist. This victory catapulted him to the top and also made him a sought-after name internationally. His successful defence of his title against Roberto Arriaza in January cemented his position in the prestigious 66.678 kg weight class. This was the only way for the Hamburg native to reach the big stage of boxing.He will not have to defend his title on August 22, but the strongest opponent of his entire career awaits him. The US-American Porter became world champion for the first time in 2013 and stood in the ring with the crème de la crème of welterweight: Kell Brook, Keith Thurman, Adrien Broner, Danny Garcia and most recently superstar Errol Spence Jr. dueled with the brawny powerhouse. The 32-year-old suffered three defeats, all of them close on points and some of them controversial.