Unbeaten prospect Conor Benn will square off with Sebastian Formella on the undercard of the Alexander Povetkin vs. Dillian Whyte rematch.
Benn (16-0, 11 KOs) hasn't fought since 2019 thanks in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, but brings serious momentum into his absence-ending return to the ring.
The son of the legendary Nigel Benn made short work of Jussi Koivula with a second-round stoppage in at York Hall last June in his first main event appearance before KOing Steve Jamoye in four at London's O2 Arena in October.
Formella (22-1, 10 KOs) on the other hand has managed to stay relatively busy in 2020, claiming the IBO welterweight title against Roberto Arriaza in January before his first professional defeat came against former world champion Shawn Porter over 12 rounds in August.
"Formella is a world level operator," said Benn. "His only loss came against two-time world champ Shawn Porter. I know a win here will make a huge statement on the world scene. I feel the critics have a lot of unanswered questions and now I have the opportunity to answer them in a globally recognised fight.
"From the outside this may look like a big step up but I have prepared extremely hard behind closed doors, working on my craft and climbing the ranks for a fight like this! It’s now time to carry the Benn name back to where it belongs and this will be another step closer to the top. Make no mistake, I’m going into this fight to destroy Formella, I want to win in true Benn style."
"Conor is a strong undefeated man who likes to box at home," said Formella. "This will not be an easy fight. But it makes me very proud to fight in the UK this year after my debut in the USA. Of course a fight with spectators would have been even better, but to box in the UK at all is great.
"I am looking forward to this challenge. We will have a good tactic to leave the ring as the winner. We will use the short time optimally.“
Promoter Eddie Hearn added: "This is a huge fight for Conor and a monumental step up. We saw Formella tough it out with Shawn Porter a few months ago and he didn’t stop trying for 12 rounds and showed a great chin and a lot of heart.
"I have to give Conor a lot of credit, although he has been inactive, he hasn’t left the gym and feels that after all he has learned, now is the time to take that big leap. This is the fight that can make him a genuine world level contender — it’s sink or swim time November 21!
Benn vs. Formella is the first undercard contest confirmed beneath the rematch between Alexander Povetkin (36-2-1, 25 KOs) and Dillian Whyte (27-2, 18 KOs). Whyte needs to avenge the shock defeat he suffered at Fight Camp in August, when four near-perfect rounds of work on the Russian veteran were outdone by a knockout of the year contender in the fifth.