WBO champions: when do you start counting them as "real" world champions?

[famicommander]

WBO has been legit since 1988.

If that were true then fighters wouldn't have been dropping WBO belts to chase WBC, IBF, or WBA belts (or, in some cases, fighters dropped WBO belts just to be ranked by the WBC).

[Pigeons]

If that were true then fighters wouldn't have been dropping WBO belts to chase WBC, IBF, or WBA belts (or, in some cases, fighters dropped WBO belts just to be ranked by the WBC).

Margarito and Clottey dropped the IBF before fighting Cotto.

Floyd refused to fight for the WBA against Mosley.

Rid**** Bowe threw the WBC in a literal trash bin.

This happens all the time. It doesn't mean that a title isn't major. They just don't want to pay the extra fees.

[QueensburyRules]

What part of provide some proof don't you understand? You make outrageous claims and tell outright lies while never backing anything up. You're an azzclown, a real Munson.

- -Git thee thou minder to tuck in U bib and cut U steak for U.

Nobody on this forum provides more links than moi, and the only links U provide are proof U don't understand the English language, timelines, and basic circumstances, a dummy's dummy.

[QueensburyRules]

Something like that if I remember correctly.

Funny the IBO started the same year. neither get the respect of the other 3, but as I've said, alphabet titles are meaningless unless unified or held by a lineal champion. If the werent than we would have to be expected to call every alphabet Titlist a world champion. In my opinion it's all or nothing. You can't pick and chose which Titlist you want to call world champion while ignoring the rest.

- -At various times in most all the weight classes the IBO or the WBO had the top Ring rated fighters as champs.

Case in point: Glen Johnson and Tarver each dropped their belts so they could fight each other for the primacy of the best in the division, in this case sanctioned by the IBO.

When Barrera fought Hamed it was for the vacant IBO that he never defended. Later he beat Morales for 126 WBC that he never defended, preferring to fight Johnny Tapia and Kevin Kelley, top fighters and then Manny in a huge public interest bout for the Ring belt.

So the Big Three that blowhard Americans hoist by their own petard are often for the lesser fighters. See the WBC by Deyonce. When Vitali retired, El Puerco Son of Jose loyal to DKing let him get his grubbies on the WBC through Stiverne who's main claim to fame is being the first Haitian hvywt champ in history in spite of he and Arreola never having beat a single Ring ranked contender.

[JAB5239]

- -Git thee thou minder to tuck in U bib and cut U steak for U.

Nobody on this forum provides more links than moi, and the only links U provide are proof U don't understand the English language, timelines, and basic circumstances, a dummy's dummy.

Missing links.

[JAB5239]

- -At various times in most all the weight classes the IBO or the WBO had the top Ring rated fighters as champs.

Case in point: Glen Johnson and Tarver each dropped their belts so they could fight each other for the primacy of the best in the division, in this case sanctioned by the IBO.

When Barrera fought Hamed it was for the vacant IBO that he never defended. Later he beat Morales for 126 WBC that he never defended, preferring to fight Johnny Tapia and Kevin Kelley, top fighters and then Manny in a huge public interest bout for the Ring belt.

So the Big Three that blowhard Americans hoist by their own petard are often for the lesser fighters. See the WBC by Deyonce. When Vitali retired, El Puerco Son of Jose loyal to DKing let him get his grubbies on the WBC through Stiverne who's main claim to fame is being the first Haitian hvywt champ in history in spite of he and Arreola never having beat a single Ring ranked contender.

At various times even a blind squirrel finds a nut.....so what? The point remains that ABC titles no matter who's organization they're from are meaningless by themselves unless accompanied by a lineal title or are unified with the majority of other titles....which would in most cases mean that that fighter was fighting the best fighters. See Brian Neilson as a perfect example of why one trinket title holds no value on its own.

[Willie Pep 229]

The WBO started in 1988, but at the time their world titles were lightly regarded and their champions would often drop their belts in order challenge for the other three belts or even to participate in eliminators for those belts.

Gradually they started gaining more respect, and in the mid-90s a few WBO champions began to beat the champions of other organizations in the ring.

In 2000, the WBA began recognizing the WBO as a legitimate world title.
In 2004 the WBC followed suit
In 2006 the IBF recognized them, and so the WBO achieved equal footing among the others

The question is, at what point do you consider the title legitimate? When one governing body recognized them? Two? Or all three?

If we take the lineage of the WBO heavyweight title from the beginning

1. Francesco Damiani (def. Johnny du Plooy for the vacant title) - May 1989
2. Ray Mercer - def. Damiani January 1991, vacated December 1991
3. Michael Moorer - (def. Bert Cooper for the vacant title) May 1992, vacated February 1993 to pursue other belts
4. Tommy Morrison (def. George Foreman for the vacant title) - June 1993
5. Michael Bentt def. Morrison October 1993
6. Herbie Hide def. Bentt March 1994
7. Rid**** Bowe def. Hide March 1995, vacated to fight Holyfield
8. Henry Akinwande (def. Jeremy Williams for the vacant title) June 1996, vacated January 1997 to become WBC mandatory
9. Herbie Hide (2) (def. Tony Tucker for the vacant title) June 1997
10. Vitali Klitschko def. Hide June 1999 (WBA recognized during this reign)
11. Chris Byrd def. Klitschko April 2000
12. Wladimir Klitschko def. Byrd October 2000
13. Corrie Sanders def. Klitschko March 2003, vacated to fight Vitali December 2003
14. Lamon Brewster (def. Wladimir Klitschko for vacant belt) - April 2004 (WBC recognized during this reign)
15. Siarhei Liahkovich def. Brewster April 2006 (IBF recognized during this reign)
16. Shannon Briggs def. Liakhovich November 2006
17. Sultan Ibragimov def. Briggs June 2007
18. Wladimir Klitschko (2) def. Ibragimov February 2007
19. Tyson Fury def. Wladimir Klitshko November 2015
20. Joseph Parker (def. Andy Ruiz Jr for vacant belt) - December 2016
21. Anthony Joshua def. Parker March 2018
22. Andy Ruiz Jr def. Joshua June 2019
23. Anthony Joshua (2) def. Andy Ruiz Jr December 2019
24. Oleskandr Usyk def. Anthony Joshua September 2021

Whom do you consider the first true WBO world heavyweight champion?

Not the answer you're looking for but . . . who was the first POPULAR fighter willing to wear the belt? That's when it became legit. In prize fighting nothing else actually counts.

P.S. Nice history though, enjoyed reading it. Well done, thanks for the research.

[_Rexy_]

WBO became recognized before Oscar fought Sturm for it.

[famicommander]

WBO became recognized before Oscar fought Sturm for it.

That would've been when the WBC recognized them, and the WBA had already recognized them by that point, but the IBF would hold out for almost two more years until they recognized the WBO.

[Willie Pep 229]

That would've been when the WBC recognized them, and the WBA had already recognized them by that point, but the IBF would hold out for almost two more years until they recognized the WBO.

So the scantioning bodies get to decide who is and isn't a legit body? I think there is some metaphor regarding **** and cheese that applies here.

Truth be told I think we are back to my POPULAR fighter theory. As soon as the WBO could land a popular fighter the other bodies will see money in a unification fight and be willing to recognize them. But if they couldn't land a popular fighter I doubt the WBC would bother.