Life and times of Lineal Heavyweight Championship

Let’s talk lineal Champion A boxer and promotor are a circus act it’s a performance in the entertainment industry and so the idea is to generate income by providing some form of entertainment. It must be riveting it must be pulsating it must be impossible so it must be circus. In order to sell tickets we need to promote the fight and or the fighter using any form of marketing that may grasp the attention of the public and create a hype and hysteria with the event. Promotors need to be like a good dj or circus master and captivate and grip the audience while understanding their entertainment needs to get the best possible bottom line. Over the years it’s become increasingly common for most boxers to build a reputation in the early part of their journey by registering a number of wins or going undefeated and looking good in the process. This is to pad out their record and ordinarily will encompass a list of nobody boxers until we get to around 20-0(arbitrary)record and a public profile. Now this boxer may be ripe for picking and ready for the bigger payday and may well be sought to fight for a title and become a lineal Champion. The fight is a massive event and aggressively sold and brings in swathes of buying public to an unmissable gathering and marked occasion not to be missed. The challenger fights he wins and he is crowned and now becomes the new lineal champion the guy who beat the guy and as a result is the only show in town. He is now the only guy people want to watch and pay for and is the king for a period of time the promoter can keep the audience captivated once the kings stock begins to fall and a new crown prince is on the rise history comes and repeats itself. This is the lifecycle of historic boxing and was indeed the model for many years the journey was dictated by the promotors Honest John and Gideon. This singular champion however left little room to satisfy the insatiable appetite of the buying public and as promotors sought to capitalise on the growing demands on pugilist spectacles multiple titles became a necessary evil. The introduction of the ABCs into the business led to blockbuster ticket sales and at the same time obfuscated the arena we now have multiple champions multiple blockbuster events and in a sense a bunch of paper titles. The ABCs sought to sanction events with promotors that fed into the public imagination in order for these organisations to gain credibility thus becoming synonymously associated with the idea of a true champion. How does this history help to interpret the current landscape of elite heavyweight boxing? I have to say that when we look at the records of these boxers fury/wilder/Joshua we shouldn’t be surprised that they have been padded out with arguably weak opposition. That is the nature of the beast and the name of the game. Joshua’s profile people argued as the least padded and his fan base will no doubt passionately vocalise to that tune. I myself believe his promotors have done a great job in making his opposition look better than they actually are. For me he only fought 1 great boxer and that was Klitschko the rest are a waste to even mention. Wilder has a hugely padded out record and is a reflection of very poor management and promotion I would understand his numbers if he were a middleweight Mexican but not a heavyweight American. Indeed he should have fought Breazeale and Parker before AJ. Fury is the lineal or ex lineal whatever you choose he beat the guy the cash king and number 1 in the division Klitschko and although he has a padded out record he also beat in my eyes wilder. In this division the real champion for me is Tyson Fury the other two should very much seek to beat this guy as soon as possible if at all possible to consolidate their own position as far as I’m concerned if we reverted back to only one title the Champion right now would be Tyson Fury or indeed the mandatory opposition for the likes of AJ and Wilder. The public demand is high but as matchroom allow the prospect of a matchup marinade in the imagination they will be keeping a close eye on the numbers for their forthcoming bout as the public await the direction of the elite heavyweights in the division.

Comments (9)

Agree with all of this. It's time for these fights. Fury vs Joshua is the fight to be the best. But at some point we want the belts in one place so Wilder is in the mix. We know Fury can win the big fights. We know Joshua can easily run through the second tier of heavyweights and can dig deep against better opposition when he needs to. We've learnt a bit more about Wilder but he struggled badly in the only two tests he's had. But he retains his power late in fights and can take a punch. These are the fights that define legacies. Who we think is the best shouldn't matter - it needs to be decided in the ring. We'll all forget about Wilder's soft resume, Fury's ban and Joshua's 'ducking' when they eventually all fight each other. The best will be the best. Great post. Get them all to fight each other and let’s have one face at HW as the man/undisputed.

7y ago

Toffee

In the end all 3 have to face each other it’s the only way to determine the best. Their previous records don’t mean much other than fury’s who beat a prime Klitschko and an undefeated wilder the other 2 well they ain’t nothing special until they go out and prove it. I don’t buy Joshua’s record it’s good but over rated, it makes the statisticians happy because Parker and Breazeale are nothing and over the course of time will only make that clearer. I believe the rhetoric should be simple beat the best to be The best. The question then is who is the best? I am suprised at wilder and his retention of the wbc heavyweight title. Historically the wbc would only sanction big fights and big mandatories so that their belt would hold the most credence in the sport so how on earth have we got to the situation whereby a wbc champion is 40-0 without credible opposition. The debate about the orthodox lineage of the lineal championship is another hot topic. Right now if anyone can hold that status it has to be fury otherwise fight it out and let’s see who has the minerals. Agree with all of this. It's time for these fights. Fury vs Joshua is the fight to be the best. But at some point we want the belts in one place so Wilder is in the mix. We know Fury can win the big fights. We know Joshua can easily run through the second tier of heavyweights and can dig deep against better opposition when he needs to. We've learnt a bit more about Wilder but he struggled badly in the only two tests he's had. But he retains his power late in fights and can take a punch. These are the fights that define legacies. Who we think is the best shouldn't matter - it needs to be decided in the ring. We'll all forget about Wilder's soft resume, Fury's ban and Joshua's 'ducking' when they eventually all fight each other. The best will be the best.

7y ago

Ray

This Lineal angle that some of these guys are trying to push just makes me laugh every single time. So Tyson Fury is the Lineal champ!!! So? All I care about is the guy that holds all those 4 belts. I couldn’t care less if Lewis passes on some mythical award to Wlad or not.

7y ago

Batfink

In actual fact the only way AJ can become the ring champion is by facing fury not wilder. If he fights wilder and wins he will be undisputed but not lineal or ring according to both the current ring and TBRB rankings and that’s painting the real picture. The ring stripped fury in Q1 of 2018 so can’t reinstate him so easily that would make a mockery of their respected albeit finished position since golden boy takeover. The only option they had was to make fury #2 . However that conversation is missing the point it’s about reflection on what makes the real #1 champion. It’s not Joshua I see him as a custodian and a paper champion. It’s not wilder as he is also a custodian and paper champion and it’s not fury as his inactivity means he cannot credibly retain his status. So who is number 1 well at this point in time it’s down to individual opinion and I would say the #1 is fury based on his skill and the fact that Joshua has no chance in touching this Mayweatheresque fighter as demonstrated by his sublime mastery of the sweet science. In addition Fury is the guy to beat even though Joshua has all the titles. Fury doesn’t need Aj as much as Aj need Fury. Fury won it all and was #1 Aj hasn’t won it all and needs to beat him to be #1. All 3 need to consolidate their claim by facing the other 2. I think it’s time for Joshua vs Fury the earlier the better as it provides ample time for the looser to re adjust and try again. In the end all 3 have to face each other it’s the only way to determine the best. Their previous records don’t mean much other than fury’s who beat a prime Klitschko and an undefeated wilder the other 2 well they ain’t nothing special until they go out and prove it. I don’t buy Joshua’s record it’s good but over rated, it makes the statisticians happy because Parker and Breazeale are nothing and over the course of time will only make that clearer. I believe the rhetoric should be simple beat the best to be The best. The question then is who is the best? I am suprised at wilder and his retention of the wbc heavyweight title. Historically the wbc would only sanction big fights and big mandatories so that their belt would hold the most credence in the sport so how on earth have we got to the situation whereby a wbc champion is 40-0 without credible opposition. The debate about the orthodox lineage of the lineal championship is another hot topic. Right now if anyone can hold that status it has to be fury otherwise fight it out and let’s see who has the minerals.

7y ago

Toffee

We talk about 'padded out' resumes like it's some crime, or diminishes their record. Fact is, every boxer needs to come from somewhere to have the experience to be a top 10 heavyweight. If we had a single, uncorrupted structure in boxing then the top guys' records would probably still look similar. - Fight lower lights and emerge as one of the best - Fight second tier fighters and emerge as one of the best - Get a title shot - Defend your title against top fighters - Prove yourself the best in an era The sticking point seems to be the last one. Fury, well by the time he earned his title shot he was mentally wrecked and never defended. So he's back to stage 3... actually you could argue a legitimate sporting system would have him back at stage 2. Joshua, I think is fighting worthy opponents. In the modern era that also means unifying, which he has done. Now needs to attempt that very elite category of undisputed that very few get to. He's 29 though, so he's following a reasonable path. Wilder was late to the game but it's the only one I would say really padded his resume. He defended against guys who should never have been in a title fight. But in the last year he's moved up a level. Obviously the fight we now need is undisputed. So are those resumes really padded? Or are people just impatient for defining fights?

7y ago

QueensburyRules

Wlad never beat Lennox though. IMO AJ, Fury and Wilder are in a class of their own, and that should be enough for any fan. --- Lineal title retired with James Jeffries. If I beat Lennox tomorrow, I ain't lineal champ because he never was. True champs don't sell off their belts to avoid mandatories though he never received a dime from Vitali because Lenny ducked the huge money rematch. Now officially Vitali is the WBC emeritus champ with first dibs on the WBC champ, a for real champ, just not the lineal.

7y ago

rolshans

Yes Fury is the lineal champ and Joshua and Wilder are just title holders......This is how it has always been..YOU HAVE TO BEAT THE MAN WHO BEAT THE MAN!!!!!! Wlad never beat Lennox though. IMO AJ, Fury and Wilder are in a class of their own, and that should be enough for any fan.

7y ago

boliodogs

I don't consider Fury the lineal champ and neither does Ring magazine who just loves that lineal stuff. Fury was lineal champ right after he beat Wlad but he lost it when he did not defend it for 3 fuking years. Is it supposed to last for eternity? AJ beat more good fighters than either Wilder or Fury. He is ring magazine's number 1 heavyweight but ring has the heavyweight title vacant. I would recognize the winner of a AJ Wilder fight as the true champion and new lineal champ. Nobody including Fury can be the true champ and lineal champ until they beat AJ and AJ must capture the WBC title before he can be the true champion and the new lineal champ. That is how I see it anyway.

7y ago

LarryX

Yes Fury is the lineal champ and Joshua and Wilder are just title holders......This is how it has always been..YOU HAVE TO BEAT THE MAN WHO BEAT THE MAN!!!!!!

7y ago