Golovkin or Cotto - Who is the REAL Middleweight Champion

Voted Miguel because of that lineal title. But Golovkin would beat the piss out of him and all the other middle weighs he won't fight.

You would never have a lineal champ because most of the time the WBC,WBA,WBO, and IBF do not let their champs fight other champs. Sometimes that's true. Some fighters get a belt and don't want to unify, they just want to claim they're the best. Other times we see guys like Hopkins & Hagler go out of their way to clean out the division. During the same period as Hopkins, RJJ & Tzyu both did it in their divisions as well. The WBA/WBC/IBF have recently agreed to let fighters unify now and will push them to do so. The IBF was notorious for stripping their champions for taking unification fights like Forrest/Mosely and Margarito/Cotto. Now they have a policy that a unification fight takes precedence over a mandatory. Hopkins went out and made himself the legitimate MW champion when there was none. The idea that can somehow be bottled and passed along to Miguel for a single fight is disgusting.

Cotto is the champ but something tells me that if presented with the fight it would be Cotto turning it down.

The idea of a lineal champion is BS. When Tiger Flowers beat Harry Greb, he never lost that title, he moved up in weight (Walker fight was a 10 rounder). Officially Mickey Walker never lost the MW title either, as he moved up and was stripped Paul Pender retired as the MW champion in the 60's Carlos Monzon retired as the MW champion in the 70's Ray Leonard won the MW title vs Hagler, retired, re-won it vs Duran, moved back down to JMW lost & was stripped of the MW title in the 80's Hopkins beating Tito claimed himself the undisputed champion of the division, but the idea that it passed on to Cotto thru Martinez, Pavlik, Taylor makes it's value a bit diminished. Hopkins showed the proper way to become the true MW champion - by beating all the top MW's. You can't just beat one guy one time and claim dominance over a division (take note Floyd). You would never have a lineal champ because most of the time the WBC,WBA,WBO, and IBF do not let their champs fight other champs.

indeed, "fights" plural Cotto has one fight, just one, at 159lbs over a 38 year old Martinez who refused to fight the next best guy. Boxing fans are supposed to believe that makes Cotto the champion ahead of all the proven MWs...nope. Yes, fights that matter. A bunch of fringe contenders don't matter. Are we supposed to believe beating Geale (a guy beaten by Martinez worst MW defense) makes you the champ? At best, the championship is vacant until proven otherwise.

Martinez-Cotto-Larryweather Jr That will make 3 lineal champs in a row who won't fight GGG. That has to be one of the rarest things in boxing - a three-headed duck.

its pretty simple.....Cotto is the champion, who beat Martinez, who beat Pavlik, who beat Taylor, Who beat Hopkins, who unified all the titles waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in 2001. Some of the people on this board may not understand it but titles are won in the ring not on message boards or in polls Thank you. Now having said that, Cotto needs to face a credible contender riki-fking-tik or concede the belts and fight at 154.

Despite believing Golovkin is the best in the division, I still think a championship is something you earn by the fighting the fights, not by winning the fantasy fights. Whether or not it's Golovkin's fault he can't get some of those fights is irrelevant. Besides, the current lineal champ is Nick Blackwell after being robbed by Sergey Khomitsky. indeed, "fights" plural Cotto has one fight, just one, at 159lbs over a 38 year old Martinez who refused to fight the next best guy. Boxing fans are supposed to believe that makes Cotto the champion ahead of all the proven MWs...nope.

Despite believing Golovkin is the best in the division, I still think a championship is something you earn by the fighting the fights, not by winning the fantasy fights. Whether or not it's Golovkin's fault he can't get some of those fights is irrelevant. Besides, the current lineal champ is Nick Blackwell after being robbed by Sergey Khomitsky.

MAX, look at me, I have three belts. Migueeel Cotto, you want exciting fight, call me. :) Let's do it Miguel, let's do it in June for the Puerto Rican parade. MSG... whatever you want. We accept Miguel. :)

The hate for Gayweather runs deep. So Cotto is now all of a sudden a paper champ and a chump for supposedly "rumors" negogiating a Gayweather rematch? So basically Cotto's resume is based off hate for Mayweather? Cotto is the lineal champ period, he beat the lineal champ. Glovokin is the best fighter at 160, but not the REAL MW champ by any definition. No, people have been saying it from the start. In fact they were saying when Martinez was still "champ". Golovkin is the king at 160. Cotto's resume overall is 10 times better than Glovokin's as well. Not at MW it isn't, Cotto has beaten one opponent at 159lbs who received a gift in his previous bout.

The hate for Gayweather runs deep. So Cotto is now all of a sudden a paper champ and a chump for supposedly "rumors" negogiating a Gayweather rematch? So basically Cotto's resume is based off hate for Mayweather? Cotto is the lineal champ period, he beat the lineal champ. Glovokin is the best fighter at 160, but not the REAL MW champ by any definition. Cotto's resume overall is 10 times better than Glovokin's as well.

Golovkin has beaten no one. He's been very carefully matched. Cotto beat the lineal middleweight champion. If Mayweather beats Cotto he will become the lineal middleweight champion. That's something that would piss off many on this forum. So they want to discredit Cotto's lineal championship as much as they can. Cotto's discrediting it himself by not defending it against the best MWs, he hasn't even fought at the weight limit. He's devaluing it, and when a fighter does that, what's it worth? fans move on...

Golovkin has beaten no one. He's been very carefully matched. Cotto beat the lineal middleweight champion. If Mayweather beats Cotto he will become the lineal middleweight champion. That's something that would piss off many on this forum. So they want to discredit Cotto's lineal championship as much as they can.

When the lineal champion retires, the winner of a fight between the #1 and #2 fighter determines the new lineal champion. How do you determine #1 and #2? With so many different rankings, it's just subjective. Dominance must be attained, not assumed.

GGG has faced 0 current champions...Cotto's 1 fight at Middleweight is better then any win GGG has GGG would be arrested for murder after a cotto fight

The idea of a lineal champion is BS. When Tiger Flowers beat Harry Greb, he never lost that title, he moved up in weight (Walker fight was a 10 rounder). Officially Mickey Walker never lost the MW title either, as he moved up and was stripped Paul Pender retired as the MW champion in the 60's Carlos Monzon retired as the MW champion in the 70's Ray Leonard won the MW title vs Hagler, retired, re-won it vs Duran, moved back down to JMW lost & was stripped of the MW title in the 80's Hopkins beating Tito claimed himself the undisputed champion of the division, but the idea that it passed on to Cotto thru Martinez, Pavlik, Taylor makes it's value a bit diminished. Hopkins showed the proper way to become the true MW champion - by beating all the top MW's. You can't just beat one guy one time and claim dominance over a division (take note Floyd). When the lineal champion retires, the winner of a fight between the #1 and #2 fighter determines the new lineal champion.

The idea of a lineal champion is BS. When Tiger Flowers beat Harry Greb, he never lost that title, he moved up in weight (Walker fight was a 10 rounder). Officially Mickey Walker never lost the MW title either, as he moved up and was stripped Paul Pender retired as the MW champion in the 60's Carlos Monzon retired as the MW champion in the 70's Ray Leonard won the MW title vs Hagler, retired, re-won it vs Duran, moved back down to JMW lost & was stripped of the MW title in the 80's Hopkins beating Tito claimed himself the undisputed champion of the division, but the idea that it passed on to Cotto thru Martinez, Pavlik, Taylor makes it's value a bit diminished. Hopkins showed the proper way to become the true MW champion - by beating all the top MW's. You can't just beat one guy one time and claim dominance over a division (take note Floyd).

Lineal isn't always prestigious. Larry Holmes won the lineal HW championship by beating up an old, Parkinson's-riddled Ali.

Anyone thinking cotto is the real champion is retarded, baldomir was a lineal champ. Who gives a ****. Baldomir went in the ring and won the lineal title just like all the other lineal champions.......