WBO Creates Global Title, Sebastian Formella Becomes Inaugural Champion
With questions surrounding boxing and the seemingly-endless supply of titles, the WBO has created a brand new title.
Dubbed the WBO Global championship, unbeaten boxer Sebastian Formella defeated Betuel Ushona by unanimous decision (119-109, 119-109, 117-111) to become the first-ever champion at 147 pounds. The fight took place at a boxing show in Hamburg, Germany.
Even though the title is being called the Global championship, there is no confirmation as to whether or not the title is considered an actual world champion. The WBA has a similar practice in which it has multiple world champions in some divisions, creating “super” and “regular” world championships.
Formella is the first WBO Global Champion!#Germany – Sebastian Formella —- (20-0, 10KOs) defeated Betuel Ushona —- (36-7-1, 9 KOs) by UD to grab the newly WBO Global Welterweight title at the Sporthalle, Hamburg. Scorecards: 119-109 (2x) and 117-111.
— Sebastian Heger pic.twitter.com/yz8gLSvAZn
— WBO (@WorldBoxingOrg) December 16, 2018
Although Formella is the inaugural WBO Global welterweight champion, Formella is primarily a junior middleweight. Prior to winning the WBO Global title, Formella had held the IBO Continental, IBO Intercontinental and WBO European junior middleweight titles and was ranked No. 8 by the WBO at 154 pounds.
Ushona has now lost two straight fights and four of his last six bouts. Ushona is a former WBO Africa and WBF welterweight champion, but had come on to the fight unranked by all four major governing bodies.
On that same card, former world champion Juergen Braehmer scored a fifth-round TKO win over Pablo Daniel Zamora Nievas to pick up his first win since unceremoniously exiting the World Boxing Super Series super middleweight tournament due to suffering from influenza just before his semifinal bout. Christian Hammer also knocked out Michael Wallisch to win the vacant WBO European heavyweight title and Sven Fornling defeated Karo Murat by unanimous decision to win the IBO light heavyweight world title.
