Conor Benn remained undefeated with a 10-round unanimous decision over Sebastian Formella in a welterweight bout at the SSE Arena in London, England.

It was a solid performance out of Benn, who bloodied the left nostril of Formella as early was round two.

Benn, 147 lbs of Illford, Essex won by scores of 100-91, 99-91 and 99-92 and is now 17-0. Formella, 147 lbs of Hamburg, GER is 22-2.

“I just stuck to my boxing,” Benn told Matchroom. “I was hitting him with some hard shots. The guy just went 12 rounds with Shawn Porter and I think I beat him more convincingly. I didn’t lose a round. It was an okay night’s work. I’ve had harder spars than that. I’m not being funny. I’ve been sparring with Middleweights and Super-Middleweights in 18oz gloves. They wear 14oz gloves and I wear 18oz gloves. When it comes to punching power, if I’m not going to bang them out, I’ll wear them down.

“He’s a former World Champion and I expected nothing less. I stayed cool and composed the whole ten rounds. I could have done 15. I’m barely breaking a sweat now. He tried it on the inside and I beat him to the punches on the inside. He tried it at range and I beat him to the punches at range. I was quicker, faster and stronger. People think their experience is going to get to me, what experience? Jussi Koivula got banged out in two rounds and if they want to go ten or twelve I’ll outbox them for ten or twelve. 

“People will always question me because of my vulnerability. I’m hungry like I come from the ends. I’m hungry like I came from nothing. I fight like a starving man. You don’t need to come form poverty, come from having nothing, to be a great fighter. I have a great life. I live such a blessed life, but I still fight like a starving man because of that championship mindset, that hunger and will to win. 

“I’ve just beaten No.23 in the world, a former IBO World Champion. I’m pushing on. The only domestic fight I’m interested in, the only domestic fight that the public keep talking about, not Instagram, is the Josh Kelly fight. That’s the only fight I’m interested in. If not, get me Samuel Vargas. Get me some of these top Yanks, I’ll have a bit of them. The only domestic fight I’m interested in is Josh Kelly. Let’s have it.”

Fabio Wardley remained undefeated by stopping Richard Lartey in round two of their scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout.

Wardley pawed with a left and then landing a booming right that sent Lartey down and the fight was stopped at 1:22.

Lartey needed some oxygyn, but seemed alright.

Wardley, 230 lbs of Ipswich, ENG is 10-0 with nine knockouts. Lartey, 258.1 lbs of Accra, GHA is 14-4.

“The first round took some adjusting,” said Wardley afterwards. “I like to use that first round to gather information, figure out my opponent, see where gaps are, see what’s going on. Just analyse the whole situation. I did that, took a few shots doing it but that’s all part of the game. A bit of that chin check thing was ticked off for me. I can take a bang and it’s not going to give me too much bother. We got through that first round and I figured out what I was going to do from then onwards. 

“I stung him with a few jabs and I always saw that those gloves came straight up in front of him. I fought sting him with one and come around the side. That was the plan and it came off perfectly. Nobody is ever going to grumble at an early night’s work. I get to go back and chill out now. I need to start getting those rounds in and get tougher tests. I’ve ticked that box of ‘do I have one punch power?’. 

“The comparisons are always going to come. Does me knocking out Lartey quicker than Daniel Dubois mean I’m better than him? Does it mean I’d do the same to Daniel? Boxing isn’t that cut and dry. There’s a lot more to it. I take it for what it is. I beat Richard Lartey in two round and I’m happy with that performance. I did well and that’s all you take from it. We keep moving and we keep working.”

Alen Babic kept his perfect knockout streak alive by taking out Tom Little in round three of their scheduled eight-round heavyweight bout.

Babic had a tremendous unrelenting workrate. In round three, Babic put Little down with a right hand, but Little went down more from exhaustion. Later in the round, Babic landed a chopping right that put Little down flat on his back and the fight was stopped at 2:38.

Babic, 213.8 lbs of Zagreb, CRO is 6-0 with six knockouts. Little, 235 lbs of Hatfield, ENG is 10-9.

“My Savage Army, I never lie to you,” Babic told Matchroom. “If I tell them I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it. I said I would do it in the first round and it should have been in the first round, he was well prepared. He could take a punch. I think I broke both of my knuckles on his head. I can feel it. He can take a punch. “Nobody can go three rounds with me. I had fuel in my tank for twenty like that. Filip Hrgovic bet against me, I’m so glad he lost money on me. He is my fellow Croat, we live like 2km away from each other. He bet against me. That just shows he doesn’t know shit about boxing. He doesn’t know the history of boxing. He’s just a technical guy, a very good technical guy. As soon as the fans come back, I want him. 

“I’m going to take Tom back to my Savage Army because he’s a good guy. He’s a good fighter but he’s not even close to my level. He’s two stone heavier than me. and I want you to write that down. I box every day. I don’t do anything out of the ring. My training is old school, boxing, sparring and pads. Just that. I didn’t do a single push up or pull up. 

“I’m not faking anything. Hrgovic is a fake. I’m real and I want to fight. I like fist fights. I think it was a beautiful fight. I want to give people entertainment. That’s who I am and I’m always going to be like that. Unless somebody tests me I’m going to keep knocking them out. Give me a strong puncher, a knockout artist. You’re going to see the sweet science. I can do it. I can punch and I have stamina. I have a strong head, you can’t beat that with muscles.”

Jez Smith won a decision over previously undefeated Ben Ridings in a six-round super middleweight contest.

Smith, 166 lbs of Harrow Weald, ENG won by a 60-54 score and is now 12-2-1. Ridings, 165 lbs of Bury, ENG is 3-1.

“I’m over the moon,” Smith said afterwards. “I can’t put it into words. I had a game plan and I knew what I was going to do. I knew I had a good game plan so I stuck to my boxing. I think it was a dominant performance. The referee didn’t give him a round. If I can box like that and do that when I’m not even 30% fit,  imagine what I can do when I’m fully fit. I took this fight on five days’ notice, I’m not taking anything away from Ben, I knew I was levels above him. I’ve hardly been in the gym. I’m going to dedicate myself to this craft. I’m going to be back with another win on my record. 

“I’m a fighting man. As soon as I got the call to fight live on Sky Sports on a massive bill like this I jumped at the chance. I’ll fight anyone. I’m going to get back down to Light-Middleweight. Me and Ted Cheeseman have unfinished business from the amateurs. Me and him had a fight called off after one round as there was fighting in the arena. That would be an electric fight with fireworks. If he wants it he can have it. I’ve put myself on the map so hopefully I can start being used on these big shows more. 

“I knew tonight was my night. I knew I had to go in there and put on a boxing performance. I believe that’s what I did. He hardly touched me. I claimed every round. I think this is the biggest arena that I’ve fought in so far in my career. I’m ecstatic and over the moon. I just want to say a massive thank yo to Eddie Hearn and Matchroom for giving me this opportunity. I’ll be ready for the call when it comes again.”

Liam Davies stopped Sean Cairns after round six of their scheduled 10-round bantamweight bout.

Davies battered Cairns over the six-round battle.

In round five, Cairns began to bleed from the nose, and his right started to swell. After the 6th, the corner stopped the bout.

Davies, 118 lbs of Telford, ENG is 8-0 with three stoppages. Cairns, 118 lbs of Liverpool, ENG is 7-3.

“And the new English Bantamweight Champion sounds good,” Davies told Matchroom afterwards. “It is music to my ears. I’m just happy. I knew I could do it. It was just about getting in there and getting the job done, making sure that everything went to plan. I felt like it did tonight.

“I still had a lot left in the tank. I wasn’t slowing down for nothing. I was building up the pressure and putting my punches together. You’ve got to give it to him, he’s as tough as anything. He kept coming and coming! That’s why I didn’t go mad with it. I respected how tough he was and how game he was. Full respect to Sean and I wish him all the best in the future. 

“I’d give myself an eight out of ten. I know there’s still more to come from me. I just hope I get the chance to come again and show another level because this is just the start for me. I’m looking to build and get more belts around my waist. 

“The show in Telford didn’t go ahead but I landed on my feet fighting live on Sky Sports here wining my first title. This is a memory that I will never forget and hopefully something that we can build on. I don’t fold under pressure. If anything, I rise to it. I rise to the occasion and next time I’ll rise again with a bigger and better performance for another belt hopefully. That’s the plan. 

“I’m here to impress and I felt like I did tonight. I did what I intended to do. I won in style. Most people would have gone over. I hit him hard and you’ve got to respect him for taking those shots. I don’t think most Bantamweights could have taken that power. Roll on whoever is next because I’m coming now.”

English Heavyweight Champion Fabio Wardley is expecting a hard night’s work from Richard Lartey when they go to war in a scheduled ten-rounder on the Benn vs. Formella undercard this Saturday, shown live on Sky Sports and DAZN. 

The rising Ipswich star (9-0, 8 KOs) stopped Simon Vallily in three rounds of their highly-anticipated grudge match to pick up the vacant English Title – his first professional belt – on the opening weekend of Matchroom Fight Camp back in August. 

Dillian Whyte’s Heavyweight protégé hasn’t put a foot wrong since turning professional in April 2017, and the 25-year-old feels like he is ready to push on towards more Title opportunities following his breakout win in the Matchroom HQ garden. 

Next up for Wardley is big-punching Ghanaian Lartey (14-3, 11 KOs), who in his last two fights has gone to war in a fourth-round stoppage loss against British Champion Daniel Dubois, and extended the highly-rated Nathan Gorman to a points decision in October. 

“I didn’t really have to take this kind of step-up,” said Wardley. “I could have taken something easier. These are the type of moves that I want to make. I want to test myself to see where I can go and what I can get out of this sport. Lartey always comes to fight so we’re going to put on a good performance.

“He’s durable and he can be a bit crude from time to time. He’s always there to fight and to put it on you. When he turns up, he’s there to take your face off. He’s swinging those big hooks and big rights hands. If you don’t get out of the way they’re going to clock you. 

“That’s what we’re looking for from him, someone who’s coming in and won’t be scared of anything. We know he can take a punch, so when I land those big shots on him, I know he’s going to keep marching forwards at me. It’s going to be a good test to see how I handle that in the ring. 

“We want to start moving on to those bigger rounds, those bigger fights and those bigger names. We want to keep pushing forwards and moving on. I’m always there to finish my opponents. I don’t ever want to leave it to the judges. That’s what I’ll be looking to do against Lartey. As long as I put on a good performance and finish him off I’ll be happy.”

Wardley vs. Lartey is part of a big night of action in London, ‘The Destroyer’ Conor Benn (16-0, 11 KOs) takes a big step-up against Germany’s former IBO Welterweight World Champion Sebastian Formella (22-1, 10 KOs), ‘The Savage’ Alen Babic (5-0, 5 KOs) meets Hatfield’s Tom Little (10-8, 3 KOs) over eight rounds, Donnington’s Liam Davies (7-0, 2 KOs) battles Liverpool’s Sean Cairns (7-2, 1 KO) for the English Bantamweight Title and BenRidings (3-0) meets Jez Smith (11-2-1, 5 KOs) over six rounds in a Middleweight contest. 

NATHAN GORMAN BELIEVES that, with a good win under his belt tomorrow, he will be right back in the heavyweight title mix.

The affable giant from Nantwich, 16-1 (11KOs) returns to the ring this weekend at the BT Studios for the first time since suffering a sole career setback against former amateur rival Daniel Dubois at the 02 Arena in July of last year.

Gorman, who was at the time dealing with a multitude of domestic distractions he insisted would not knock him off course, was knocked to the canvas twice with the fight ending on the second in the fifth round.

After a lengthy period on the sidelines he is now back firing on all cylinders and determined to remind people of what he is all about when he takes on the unpredictable Ghanaian Richard Lartey, 14-2 (11KOs) tomorrow night on BT Sport.

Both Gorman and Lartey share the statistic of having Dubois as their last opponent, with Lartey engaging in a firefight with the current British champion before succumbing in the fourth, three months prior to Dubois-Gorman.

At the time, Gorman was dismissive of Dubois’ accomplishment of putting out Lartey’s fire at Wembley Arena.

“Yes I was critical,” said the 24-year-old on the level of Lartey. “But now I am fighting him he is the best thing since sliced bread!

“In all fairness to me I was building the fight with Daniel with what I said at the time but, being sensible, Lartey is a dangerous man, isn’t he? He comes for a fight, as everyone knows, and we also know he hasn’t got on that plane to lie down in the first round.”

Lartey and Dubois famously and ferociously traded bombs on a frequent basis across their four rounds of warfare and Gorman is not against the idea of doing likewise.

“If it comes, it comes. Ideally it is not my thing but sometimes the heart can rule the head. First and foremost I just want to win and that is the main objective. If it takes having a dogfight, knocking him out in the first round or winning hands down on points.

“If the knockout is there I am going to go for it, but winning is the main objective.

“If I do the job on Lartey on Saturday I am back in the mix. He is quite known in Britain and there is interest because it is a good fight. We are both coming off losses to Daniel and some will say he gave him his toughest test to date.

“I haven’t got too much ground to make up and, if I wanted to, I could have just had a six or eight rounder to come back against someone nobody had heard of. Then I heard about the Lartey fight and thought if I beat him and beat him well it puts me in good stead to get back to where I need to be.

“This is a good fight for me. I would imagine the winner out of Daniel and Joe Joyce will push on for a world title and I could fight for a vacant British and, ideally, Commonwealth title.”

Nathan Gorman v Richard Lartey features on a bumper night of action from the BT Studios, with live coverage beginning at 7pm on BT Sport 1 tomorrow night.

Heavy-handed lightweight Mark Chamberlain and super featherweight Muheeb Fazeldin round out the card.

THE HEAVYWEIGHT RETURN of Nathan Gorman against Richard Lartey will now take place on October 10, having been pushed back from its original date of September 12.

The Ghanaian’s medicals have not been supplied in time for him to enter the fighter bubble tomorrow and as such the fight will be moved to the undercard of Liam Williams’ mandatory defence of his British title against Andrew Robinson.

Gorman, 16-1, will now feature on a show that also includes Anthony Cacace defending his British super featherweight title against Lyon Woodstock and the Commonwealth super welterweight title clash between the holder JJ Metcalf and challenger Jack Flatley.

Promoter Frank Warren commented: “Since returning post-lockdown we have always been ready to react to issues as and when they arise. We have been clear that we will always act with fighter and event safety in mind.

It is disappointing that we can’t put on this great fight for fans this weekend, but the show is still an exciting prospect for boxing fans, headlined by the return of Anthony Yarde.

“It is a pity for Nathan that he doesn’t get to fight this weekend, but it is only a short delay to what will be a good fight that will go ahead on another strong card on October 10.”

Anthony Yarde vs Dec Spelman, Nathan Gorman vs Richard Lartey, Mark Heffron vs Denzel Bentley and Ekow Essuman vs Cedrick Peynaud have today all been announced for a bumper Queensberry Promotions card on September 12.

Anthony Yarde will take on Dec Spelman, in what will prove an ideal chance to directly compare himself against potential future foe Lyndon Arthur – who last month edged Spelman on points behind-closed-doors.

Yarde challenged for a World Title against Sergey Kovalev in 2019 and has been absent since his Russian mission – where he came within seconds of toppling the legendary champion.

The light heavyweight Beast from the East is now back in business against an opponent who extended Manchester’s Arthur to 12 rounds of work in July. Commenting on the fight on behalf of BT Sport on the night, Yarde complained over a lack of entertainment from the pair and that he needed paying to stay awake.

Yarde will be looking to provide more entertainment on September 12.

Also featuring on what will be a huge night of action is the heavyweight return of Nathan Gorman, 16-1, who will fight Richard Lartey from Ghana (subject to visa approval) in an eliminator for the Commonwealth title. Both have a shared experience of taking on Daniel Dubois, with the 14-2 Lartey engaging in an explosive shootout with the young Londoner before being stopped in four rounds at Wembley Arena in April of last year.

Gorman, just 24, will be seeking to put the domestic heavyweight division on notice that he is back in the fold and in the bidding for major titles once again.

The vacant IBF European welterweight championship will be on the line for English champion Ekow Essuman when he goes in with the Frenchman Cedrick Peynaud. The Paris-based Peynaud took part in two epic struggles against Connor Benn across 2017-18 where both men were put to the canvas and it represents an ideal test for Essuman, who is in the British title mix along with Benn and the champion Chris Jenkins.

In what is a huge fight for the middleweight division in this country, a battle of the big punchers is confirmed between Battersea’s Denzel Bentley (13-0) and Oldham’s Mark Heffron (25-1).

For a fight that surely cannot fail to deliver fireworks, the IBF European title is the prize for the winner between two men who have not been shy in calling each other out across social media. 

Promoter Frank Warren – who will also showcase the talents of lightweight Mohammad Bilal Ali on the night, along with new signings Amin Jahanzeb (7-0, featherweight) and Joshua Frankham (debut, super welterweight) – said: 

“This is a card with the potential to deliver for the fans watching on BT Sport in a big way.

“Boxing is a game of ego’s and Anthony is keen to show the world that he can go one better than Lyndon and blast Spelman out early.

“Spelman is not an easy fight for anyone, but if Anthony comes through we’ll be on course for Yarde vs Arthur later this year hopefully.”

“I am delighted to be bringing Anthony back because he needs a competitive fight before his big domestic showdown against Lyndon Arthur and he will be determined to do a better job on Dec Spelman than his rival. He has put the onus on himself to find an explosive performance after complaining about Lyndon’s fight with Dec being boring!

“I still firmly believe Anthony is a world-level elite operator and he will prove as much given time but, for now, he needs to keep busy and remind the public of what he is all about.”

Anthony Yarde said:

“The people want explosive action and knockouts so I will not be hiding behind my jab and sending everyone to sleep,” stated the 19-1 man from Ilford. 

“This will be all about me reminding people that I am the force of the division and I am heading right back to the top where I intend to dominate and reign for a long time to come.

“I respect Dec Spelman as a fighter but this is the chance for me to show everyone what they can expect when I get to share a ring with Lyndon Arthur.”

Dec Spelman said:

“If Yarde comes to fight then so much the better for me. Lyndon made our fight a technical affair that I was disappointed I couldn’t really get to grips with, so if Yarde wants some action then bring it on.

“I will actually be his first test at domestic level so we will see how he looks on the night.”

FULL DETAILS FOR FURTHER SHOWS ON SEPT 26 (Headlined by Josh Taylor vs Apinun Khongsong) and OCT 10 COMING VERY SOON

EBENEZER TETTEH INSISTS he will punish Daniel Dubois for looking beyond the job in hand, while also vowing to inflict revenge on behalf of his countryman Richard Lartey.

Tetteh travels to the Royal Albert Hall from Ghana for a Commonwealth heavyweight title assignment on Friday September 27 encouraged by the problems the larger-than-life Lartey presented young star in the making Dubois at Wembley in April.

The pair engaged in a thrilling shootout that ended with the then once-beaten Lartey being stopped in the fourth. By opening fire and happily trading bombs, Dubois passed his chin-check on the night.

The unbeaten Tetteh, 19-0, is something of a potent puncher himself, with 16 KOs to his name

The 31-year-old from Accra reckons he will succeed where Lartey floundered.

“I am going to England to get revenge for my countryman Richard Lartey,” warned the latest entry to the Dubois hit list. “Richard gave Daniel hell but couldn’t get the job done – I will finish what Richard Lartey started.”

It hasn’t gone unnoticed over in Ghana that Dubois has been linked with and commented on potential future battles and Tetteh likens the situation to that of Anthony Joshua, who was continually responding to questions over fights with the marquee heavyweights ahead of his first professional reverse to the unfancied Andy Ruiz.

“Daniel is speaking a lot about fights with David Price or Dereck Chisora,” added Tetteh. “He is definitely overlooking me. It reminds me of when Anthony Joshua was going into the fight with Andy Ruiz and kept talking about fighting Wilder and Fury.

“He got punished for overlooking his opponent and I will punish Daniel Dubois.”

Daniel Dubois headlines the bill when he meets Ghana’s Ebenezer Tetteh for the vacant Commonwealth heavyweight crown and WBO flyweight champion Nicola Adams defends her title for the first time against experienced Mexican Maria Salinas, live on BT Sport.
The card will also feature WBO European super-featherweight champion Archie Sharp who makes his second title defence against Dublin’s Declan Geraghty.
Middleweight banger Denzel Bentley, heavyweight Jonathan Palata, lightweight Mohammad Bilal Ali and precocious bantamweight talent Dennis McCann are also in action.

Exciting prospects Lewis Edmondson, Eithan James and Sam Noakes all make their professional debuts.

Tickets for the September 27 bill at the Royal Albert Hall are available to purchase from www.ticketmaster.co.uk and www.royalalberthall.com. Prices £40, £50, £75, £100, £150 Ringside.

Daniel DuBois remained undefeated by stopping Richard Lartey with one right hand in round four of their scheduled 10-heavyweight fight at The Wembley Arena in London, England.

Both guys landed hard shots, but DuBois landed last and loudest as he drilled Lartey with a right to the chin that sent Lartey down in round four. Lartey got to his feet, but the fight was called off at 1:50.

DuBois will not take on fellow undefeated heavyweight Joe Joyce. DuBois is 11-0 with 10 knockouts. Lartey of Accra, Ghana is 14-2.

Sunny Edwards remained undefeated by stopping Pedro Matos in round eight of their scheduled ten-round super flyweight bout.

Edwards dominated and continued to break Matos down until the fight was stopped 20 seconds into the the eighth frame.

Edwards is now 11-0 with four knockouts. Matos is 7-2.

Lerrone Richards took a 12-round unanimous decision over Tommy Langford in a super middleweight bput.

Richards won by scores of 118-110, 118-111, 116-113 and and is now 12-0. Langford is 21-4.

World-ranked Jack Catterall in round three of their scheduled eight-round welterweight bout.

Catterall landed an uppercut that smashed the nose of Amador, who subsequently took a knee and the was halted at 1:12.

Catterall, 148 lbs is 24-0 with 13 knockouts. Amador, 147 lbs of Barcelona, SPA is 10-18.

Zak Chelli remained undefeated with a 10-round decision over Jimmy Smith in a super middleweight bout.

In round eight, Chelli dropped Smith with a body shot.

Chelli won by a score of 100-89, and is now 7-0. Smith is 7-2.

Queensberry Promotions are happy to report that Richard Lartey arrived in London this morning and will weigh-in ahead of his bout with Daniel Dubois tomorrow evening at The SSE Arena, Wembley.

RICHARD LARTEY BELIEVES he has been the avoided man of the heavyweight division.

The 14-1 Ghanaian with 11 KOs to his name has fought just once outside of his native Accra when he travelled to Berne and suffered an injury-enforced defeat to the unbeaten Ergun Mersin in December 2014.

He will now embark on a long-awaited second away voyage to take on the 10-0 heavyweight star in the making Daniel Dubois at the SSE Arena, Wembley on April 27, live on BT Sport.

For Lartey, a big-punching trade-off with Dubois represents an opportunity to really announce himself in the heavyweight division and make a statement to his fellow ranked contenders who have chosen to bypass him.

“Heavyweights have been avoiding me for a long time now, when I knock out Daniel Dubois then I cannot be avoided any longer!” said Lartey with intent. “My goal is to become the world heavyweight champion!

“This is about my dream to become the first world heavyweight champion from Africa. When I beat someone with a big reputation like Dubois, I will get the opportunities and climb up the rankings.”

Lartey’s school of thought is that the clutch of highly-rated young heavyweights in world boxing are nothing but pretenders who always enjoy home comforts against easy touches.

“People talk too much about young heavyweights who have achieved nothing and beaten nobody. I am happy to do it the hard way and beat these people in front of their own fans.

“I will make a big statement against Dubois then no-one can deny me what I deserve.”

Daniel Dubois v Richard Lartey tops the bill at the SSE Arena, Wembley on April 27 on a card that also includes the Commonwealth super middleweight title fight between Lerrone Richards and Tommy Langford, as well as the Southern Area super middleweight title clash between Zak Chelli and Jimmy Smith. WBO European super flyweight champion Sunny Edwards and WBO European super featherweight champion Archie Sharp also feature.

Chorley-boxer Jack Catterall will be in action as he edges ever-closer to a world title challenge. Rangy Super Welterweight talent Hamzah Sheeraz will be back out after his impressive win over Rod Douglas Jnr. Hard hitting middleweight and Peacock gym product Denzel Bentley (9-0) and Belfast amateur middleweight star Caoimhin Agyarko will also return to action. There is a Queensberry debut for Sheffield middleweight Shakiel Thompson (2-0) – with Thompson being tipped by sparring partner Billy Joe Saunders as a star for the future. Ilford Super Middleweight Umar Sadiq (4-1) also returns as he looks to rebuild after his first career loss. Tunde Ajayi trained lightweight Bilal Ali (1-0) will have his second professional fight after making a successful start to his pro career, with Hoddesdon super lightweight Alfie Price set for his fifth.

Tickets will be priced as £40, £50, £75, £100 and £150 and are now ON SALE to purchase via Eventim, Ticketmaster, the SSE Arena website and AXS.com

RICHARD LARTEY CLAIMS that his April 27 heavyweight opponent Daniel Dubois has been spoon fed a diet of mismatched opposition across his professional career to date.

The Ghanaian, 14-1, takes on the 10-0 Dubois at the SSE Arena, Wembley – live on BT Sport – and will attempt to halt the impressive rise of the 21-year-old Londoner, who has drawn comparisons in some quarters with the progression of Anthony Joshua at the same stage of the Olympic gold medallist’s career.

Dubois has already collected four belts in his ten fights so far – the WBC Youth, Southern Area, English and WBO European – and is already ranked in the world top 15 by the WBO.

His career path has done little to impress Lartey, whose only defeat came via injury-enforced retirement. The Accra-based heavy insists the race towards world title contention will be won by him.

“Daniel’s opponents have been terrible,” said the 6ft 5″ executor of 11 KOs. “They have been feeding him baby food, now they are trying to feed him premium African steak – big mistake!”

“People are saying Daniel is the next Anthony Joshua but they are wrong. It is me! I am the next Anthony Joshua and I will be champion, not Daniel!”

Daniel Dubois (10-0) v Richard Lartey (14-1) tops the bill at the SSE Arena, Wembley on April 27 on a card that also includes the Commonwealth super middleweight title fight between Lerrone Richards (11-0) and Tommy Langford (21-3), as well as the Southern Area super middleweight title clash between Zak Chelli (6-0) and Jimmy Smith (7-1). WBO number one rated super-lightweight Jack Catterall (23-0) is in action, WBO European super flyweight champion Sunny Edwards (10-0) and WBO European super featherweight champion Archie Sharp (14-0) also feature.

There are Queensberry debuts for unbeaten welterweight Chris Kongo (10-0) and Sheffield middleweight Shakiel Thompson (2-0). Caoimhin Agyarko (2-0), Bilal Ali (1-0), Denzel Bentley (9-0), Alfie Price (4-0), Hamzah Sheeraz (7-0) and Umar Sadiq (4-1) also have outings.

Tickets will be priced as £40, £50, £75, £100 and £150 and are now ON SALE to purchase via Eventim, Ticketmaster, the SSE Arena website and AXS.com.

DANIEL DUBOIS INSISTS he has got a job to do first before turning his attention towards a British title showdown against Joe Joyce.

The British Boxing Board of Control last week mandated Dubois (10-0) and the 2016 Olympic silver medallist Joyce (8-0) to fight for the coveted British heavyweight championship and notified both parties that negotiations should commence for the staging of the blockbuster battle.

Contrary to mounting social media scepticism, Dubois’ promoter Frank Warren has publicly stated that the 21-year-old will not be withdrawn from the proposed fight and Dubois intends to add the Lonsdale belt to the WBC world Youth, Southern Area, English and WBO European titles he has already fought for and won.

The Hall of Fame promoter did add, however, that Dubois has serious business to attend to first in the shape of the dangerous Ghanaian Richard Lartey, with the pair set to headline at the SSE Arena, Wembley on April 27.

The 6ft 5″ Lartey represents a significant risk to the unbeaten rise of the young Londoner, with the WBO African champion holding a record of 14-1, with the single blemish coming about due to injury. Eleven of his wins have come via knockout.

The name of Joyce is likely to feature prominently in the build-up to Dubois’ first appearance at the venue formerly known as Wembley Arena, but the towering prospect from the Peacock Gym insists he will not be distracted by what comes next.

“I am happy the fight with Joyce has been put forward and it is one that excites me,” said Dubois, who has nine stoppages to his name. “But that is for later because I have got a proper big fight lined up for April 27 and all of my energy and attention has to be channelled towards that.

“Richard Lartey is coming to win and these are the sort of fights I want to be involved in. It is a huge opportunity for me to headline a show at a famous arena live on BT Sport and it is not one I can afford to look beyond. My team wouldn’t allow me to focus on anything else anyway.

“Once April 27 is done with, I can then start thinking about a fight that I am sure everyone will want to see where I can show that I am on my way to the top with a big knockout of a British rival who I know well from the amateur scene.”

Daniel Dubois v Richard Lartey tops the bill at the SSE Arena, Wembley on April 27 on a card that also includes the Commonwealth super middleweight title fight between Lerrone Richards and Tommy Langford, as well as the Southern Area super middleweight title clash between Zak Chelli and Jimmy Smith. WBO European super flyweight champion Sunny Edwards and WBO European super featherweight champion Archie Sharp also feature.

Rangy Super Welterweight talent Hamzah Sheeraz will be back out after his impressive win over Rod Douglas Jnr. Hard hitting middleweight and Peacock gym product Denzel Bentley (9-0) and Belfast amateur middleweight star Caoimhin Agyarko will also return to action. There are Queensberry debuts for unbeaten welterweight Chris Kongo (10-0) and Sheffield middleweight Shakiel Thompson (2-0) – with Thompson being tipped by sparring partner Billy Joe Saunders as a star for the future. Ilford Super Middleweight Umar Sadiq (4-1) also returns as he looks to rebuild after his first career loss. Tunde Ajayi trained lightweight Bilal Ali (1-0) will have his second professional fight after making a successful start to his pro career, with Hoddesdon super lightweight Alfie Price set for his fifth.

Tickets will be priced as £40, £50, £75, £100 and £150 and are now ON SALE to purchase via Eventim, Ticketmaster, the SSE Arena website and AXS.com.

FRANK WARREN held a press conference in London today to announce a show featuring some of British boxing’s best prospects at The SSE Arena, Wembley on Saturday April 27.

The show will be topped by newly crowned WBO European heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois (10-0, 9KOs) who faces WBO number 14 Richard Lartey (14-1, 11KOs).

In a cracking match for the vacant Commonwealth super-middleweight title, New Malden’s Lerrone Richards (11-0, 3KOs) meets former British middleweight champion, Tommy Langford (21-3, 6KOs).

WBO super-lightweight mandatory contender Jack Catterall (23-0, 12KOs) has a non-title ten rounder under the lights as he prepares for a crack at Maurice Hooker’s world title.

Sunny Edwards (10-0, 3KOs) also returns and will defend his WBO European super-flyweight Championship.

Fulham super-middleweight Zak Chelli (6-0, 3KOs) challenges Jimmy Smith (7-1) for the vacant Southern area championship.

WBO European super-featherweight title holder Archie Sharp (14-0, 7KOs) is also in action.

Here are a selection of quotes from today’s presser:

FRANK WARREN

“It will be a terrific show because these guys are great talents. They have the platform to be the next big stars of boxing. It is a another big step up for Daniel, but I have confidence in him. He is a star in the making. If it was about who punches hardest Daniel would be up there, but he needs experience. He will fight Nathan Gorman this year and whoever wins will be knocking on the door. British heavyweights are coming along like buses and we’re blessed with them.”

DANIEL DUBOIS

“I’ve seen a few videos of Lartey and he will throw punches. I am looking forward to the challenge, but I will get a victory. They say he is a big puncher, but I will perform. It feels good to be topping the bill at Wembley. I want Nathan Gorman, definitely. It is good the fight is building up and getting bigger. I’m ready for him, but I have nothing to say to him. I’m ready for challenges in my career.”

LERRONE RICHARDS

“This is a great opportunity and I cannot wait to showcase my skills. I box smart, I fight smart, bring science and I will show on the night what I am all about. This isn’t an easy fight at all. Tommy is a very good boxer and intelligent. It will be as easy as I want to make it. People underestimate my power and if I rock Tommy Langford I will stop him.”

SUNNY EDWARDS

“I carry my personality into the ring – my style and flair. I don’t ever see myself ever doing anything else in my life. I have built momentum and I am looking to push on. I have been bottom of the bill, but I deserve these TV chances. I love the entertainment aspect of the sport, the back and forth. Some people think I am cocky and arrogant, but in my last two fights I have backed it up against Ryan Farrag and Junior Granados. I don’t sit on a cloud believing my hype, but at my best I can mix with any boxer of a similar weight.”

ARCHIE SHARP

“I am just looking forward to getting active after being injured. The British champion Sam Bowen is a great fighter, but so am I and we will meet. The fight is going to happen and I am here to box great fighters. I have boxed all around the world and know what I am able to do. I just need to get active and I will be ready for Sam.

ZAK CHELLI

“Some of my fights have been tough and they have got me in this position. Jimmy is a durable opponent and I’m training for ten rounds, but I might win quicker. Jimmy likes to come forward, but I will show my skill.

JIMMY SMITH

“When I got the call I jumped at the chance. This is an amazing opportunity and the hard work has paid off. Zak is a good talent, but I believe I’ve seen things. Winning this fight means everything.”

Tickets are priced as £40, £50, £75, £100 and £150 and are now ON SALE to purchase via Eventim, Ticketmaster, the SSE Arena website and AXS.com.