IBO welterweight champion Sebastian Formella and unbeaten heavyweight Peter Kadiru participated in a press conference to kickoff the January 18 fight card at the Edel-Optics.de Arena in Hamburg, Germany.
Formella (21-0, 10 KOs) defends his IBO belt against Roberto Arriaza (18-1, 14 KOs), while Kadiru (6-0, 2 KOs) meets Tomas Salek (11-1, 9 KOs) for the WBC Youth title. The SES Boxing and EC Box-Promotion event will be televised in Germany on MDR.
Sebastian Formella: “The first title fight I had nothing to lose – for many I was the outsider. Now I am defending my title and have something to lose. Now it’s a different story in the preparation and the fight.”
On his opponent Roberto Arriaza:
“My opponent comes forward, is similar in size to Mbenge and physically very strong. We chose a strong man because that’s the only way to get better.
“I’m also looking forward to boxing on the same card with Peter. We still know each other from the amateurs. It will be an incredible event for Hamburg and it is a special honor and great motivation to do one of the skin battles in the MDR.”
Peter Kadiru: “2019 was a very special year for me with the highlight being a fight in Las Vegas. But I am all the more pleased that I can now box for the WBC Youth world championship. I think the event will be really big and I’m sure that many Hamburg fans will turn out to support Sebastian and me.”
On his opponent Tomas Salek:
“I know Tomas from the amateur days, but we’ve never boxed up to today. He was a good amateur and is a good boxer. He’s the best opponent so far for me, therefore I am preparing hard for this fight. I always respect my opponent. He’s aggressive and tries to hit hard. It’s important for me to control and dominate the fight. And since I’ve become a father, I’m not only fighting for myself, but also for my family.”
Tomas Salek: “I don’t think I have more experience than Peter. He had a lot more fights in the amateurs. He won everything there was to win in the juniors and he’s my strongest opponent. It’s going to be a tough fight. He’s a clever boxer, but I have a strong right hand!”
