By Keith Idec

NEW YORK – Of all the things Tyson Fury says that annoy Deontay Wilder, constantly calling himself the lineal heavyweight champion might top the list.

Wilder considers that a convenient claim for Fury, who in October 2016 relinquished the last three of the four titles he won from Wladimir Klitschko the previous November.

“It’s just stupid to me, this lineal thing,” Wilder told BoxingScene.com on Saturday night at Barclays Center. “They’re trying to create something new in boxing. When have we ever seen a lineal champion fight 12 rounds for an invisible title? He don’t have nothing. All they say is ‘lineal, lineal.’ What does it really mean, though? It don’t really mean nothing, at the end of the day.”

There are factions of fans and media that both support and dismiss Fury’s lineal championship claim.

England’s Fury hasn’t been beaten in the ring. The 6-feet-9 Fury (28-0-1, 20 KOs) upset Ukraine’s Klitschko, then commonly considered boxing’s best heavyweight, by unanimous decision in November 2015 to win the IBF, IBO, WBA and WBO titles.

There have been multiple breaks in boxing’s heavyweight championship lineage during the sport’s history, however, largely due to retirements of recognized champions in the division.

Fury voluntarily vacated the WBA, WBO and IBO titles after upsetting Klitschko to seek treatment for alcoholism, depression and cocaine addiction. He had already been stripped of the IBF belt before twice canceling his immediate rematch with Klitschko.

The 30-year-old Fury came out of retirement early in 2018. He has fought four times over the past 13 months, including a draw with Wilder eight months ago.

Wilder won the WBC title from Bermane Stiverne in January 2015, approximately 10 months before Fury upset Klitschko.

Haiti’s Stiverne was not considered boxing’s best heavyweight when he held the WBC championship. Stiverne also won a vacant WBC title by beating Chris Arreola by unanimous decision in May 2014.

Regardless, Wilder (41-0-1, 40 KOs) is looking forward to proving his superiority over Fury in the ring. They settled for a split draw in their first fight, December 1 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, but have agreed to fight again.

If Wilder, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, beats Cuban southpaw Luis Ortiz (31-1, 26 KOs, 2 NC) in a rematch expected to happen November 9, he’ll face Fury in another rematch sometime early in 2020. Fury also must defeat Swedish southpaw Otto Wallin (20-0, 13 KOs, 1 NC) on September 14 in Las Vegas to secure his place in a pay-per-view rematch with Wilder.

Meanwhile, Wilder will have to listen to Fury boast about being boxing’s lineal heavyweight champion.

“You know, it’s just sad,” Wilder said. “But I just sit back. I don’t really say too much. I let it be built up, until the time comes. We need people to get into something. You’ve got fans that wanna believe this and wanna believe that. You’ve got fans that like the entertainment of what’s going on. And you’ve got some fans that can see through it. But at the end of the day, I think it’s built for an amazing fight the second time around. And the truth will reveal itself in the ring that night of the fight, that’s for sure.”

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