Sebastian Formella still hasn’t faced a championship-caliber welterweight in a fight that counts.

The German veteran is more convinced than ever, though, that he can beat Shawn Porter now that he has sparred against a similar fighter Formella feels did exactly that. Formella spent a week recently at trainer Ismael Salas’ gym in Las Vegas, where he sparred numerous rounds against Yordenis Ugas.

Cuba’s Ugas gave Porter one of the most difficult fights of the former IBF/WBC welterweight champion’s career in March 2019. Porter edged Ugas by 12-round split decision that night in Carson, California, but Formella figures he can successfully employ elements of Ugas’ game plan when he opposes Porter on Saturday night at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

“I was in the [gym] of Salas, so yeah, he can translate [what Ugas said],” Formella said on a conference call Thursday. “And, of course, I asked, ‘Would you have some tips for me?’ Because he is also fighting with his jab … and [he] made a very strong fight against Shawn Porter. It was very good to [have] sparring [with Ugas] because I learned a lot in the one week and can practice it [for] the fight.”

The 33-year-old Formella (22-0, 10 KOs) will take a steep step up in class when he encounters Porter in a 12-round IBF/WBC elimination fight FOX will air as the main event of a three-bout broadcast (8 p.m. ET; 5 p.m. PT). Formella owns the IBO 147-pound crown, but he hasn’t faced anyone as good as Las Vegas’ Porter (30-3-1, 17 KOs) in six years as a pro.

The 32-year-old Porter’s opponent hadn’t sparred against anyone as skillful as Ugas until recently, either.

“It went very well,” Formella said. “It was my first time to spar with somebody in the top 10 at welterweight. And I was also very excited how it worked, and what is my standing. And when I was there, we [did] one week [of] sparring, and it [went] very well. We [did] six rounds, eight rounds together, and [he was] not hitting me. So, I would say that it was very good for my mindset to say, ‘OK, I can fight with that guy.’ It was very good that Ugas was sparring with me. Also, it was preparation for his fight. So, my mindset grew up for this fight against Shawn Porter.”

The 34-year-old Ugas (25-4, 12 KOs) and Abel Ramos (26-3-2, 20 KOs), of Casa Grande, Arizona, are scheduled to box September 6 at Microsoft Theater in a 12-round fight for the vacant WBA world welterweight title.

Ugas should already have been crowned a welterweight champion, according to Formella. Porter beat Ugas on two scorecards (116-112, 115-113, 111-117), but Formella thinks Ugas did enough to upset Porter for the WBC 147-pound title.

“My real opinion, I think Ugas [won],” Formella said. “I don’t look at many fights of Shawn Porter, but this one I look [at] because Ugas boxed in a nearly similar style. He’s physically stronger than me, but he boxed also in a long style. So, I loved the fight. It was a very close fight, but Ugas was the challenger and he attacked Shawn Porter. I think it was a close fight, but I feel nobody can start to cry if Ugas [won] the fight. It was a very close fight, but it was a good fight, yeah.” 

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for krikya360.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.