Would you ever recognize a champion who is not currently recognized?

[Marchegiano]

I beleive that I understand your quandry accurately.
A posthumous ordering (or review) of title lineage at Heavyweight is comparatively simple because fight scholars, tapping into Hellenic Greek texts, the writings of Captain John Godfrey, Pierce Egan and everything else existant have taken up the challenge of doing precisely that for two centuries at least, and strong peer consensus exists regarding the relative legitimately of opposing claims (such as Maher's 102 day claim following the aborted retirement of Corbett); and because in the absence of accepted weight divisions, everyone is a Heavyweight (Ala the slender Royce Gracie in the early UFC events or the Thai Boran/Muay Thai battlers before the 1945 opening of Rajadamnern stadium in ****kok).
The introduction of weight classes in boxing was a gradual and uneven seeding.
It is widely known that Boxing was a formal sport distinctive from wrestling for at least 1,000 years when Onomastos of Smyrna was awarded the undisputed championship of the world in 688 BC, according to the Chronicon of Eusebius, the empirical source, and that there was a clear and well documented linear passing of that title for the following 861 years before the title was defused across various cultures, reassembling in England in the late 1600s. But there is no mention of weight classes providing some slack for the smaller, faster and ostensibly more skillful warriors until 1823, when a popular English language "slang dictionary" (anything pertaining to references beyond the narrow interests of the English gentry) titled "The Dictionary of the Vulgar tongue" stated that the limit for a "light weight" was 12 stone (168 lb, 76.2 kg), while the competing Sportsman's Slang the same year counter claimed that the limit was 11 stone (154 lb, 69.9 kg). So yes; maintaining vernacular use of terms defining weight class as an imperative when assempbling non big boy title lineage is a challenge, and not the only one (Lol).
It's fun trying though, for those of us who accept that hostory is an absolute chronology, and arguably the most important class in the curriculum.

Just, yes, dead on and 100%. It's a minefield.

[markusmod]

Charlie Z is a legend of boxing. What is he now, like 500-0? The man doesn't even need a ring. He'll fight on the street, outside houses, even inside Astro Burger. A true road warrior. Despite his success, he is also very humble, choosing to live with his parents, rather than in a multi-million dollar mansion. Wins over Wilder, Mayweather Sr, Deric the Giant, Southpaw Sil, Pizza delivery guy, and Navy Seal #5 prove his worth. Check my sig, he's in my top 10 P4P. Nash out.

Damn right, Nash Out!

They need to make the Mayweather Sr. rematch

[Anthony342]

Like Charlie Z?

Since he has no boxing record, no.

[Willie Pep 229]

Since he has no boxing record, no.

I think you are missing the big picture . . . He's on the Internet and he claims he is an undefeated fighter. This is the 21st Century and these Gen Zs don't waste their time parsing facts they have too many messages in their inbox.

[markusmod]

I think you are missing the big picture . . . He's on the Internet and he claims he is an undefeated fighter. This is the 21st Century and these Gen Zs don't waste their time parsing facts they have too many messages in their inbox.

Here, here!

[billeau2]

Having done the heavies I kind of know the answer is yes, but, I don't honestly know the parameters because what HW has that the divisions below do not have is something like a formal division going back as far as boxing exists. Pre-formalization there's quite a few champions folks see as lineal champions despite there being no formal division and with HWs there is no case to be made for division.

What I mean is, when you have an era with two claimants to the HW crown it does not call into question what HW is. Conversely when you are looking at two champions, let's just pick Light, and those champions both claim LW but neither is 135 and neither agree with one another what LW is, let's say one claims LW is 120 and one is 130.

With HWs all I had to do was prove these guys won the title by normal means or were accepted in their time as the champion or some such like that. I did not have to define HW.

With divisional history it's going to be impossible for me to categorize folks without defining those cats first.

So, let's say I have found a man who makes no claim to any title, but, the era around him most certainly does see him as the best middleweight active of their era. This is the 1860s, middleweight is not really a thing. However, no one near his size wanted any part of him.

I will be straight, yes he is a black man, no, I can not find any evidence he was avoided because he was black. He was avoided, best as I can tell, because he beat the best men of his era around his size.

This avoidance came after this man's resume, not prior. He does have a very, very good resume for his era.

This avoidance's motivation was not hidden, he was considered the best and there was no point in fighting him.

Can I call him MW champion? Present him as a champion and such?

I am proud to have put that title by names folks accept as champions now, like Nat Peartree. But also Claimants and Lesser Belts showed me folks are way more critical of a career if you present that career like a champion career. Peter Maher was a name I lost on. I see him as a legitimate champion and I'm more-or-less alone in that opinion. I feel like had i presented ol' Pete like he was just a very good contender more folks would have appreciated him.

So now I'm just gonna ask before I present principles.

Can anyone, ever, be elevated to champion? What do you need to see to call a man champion of an era? What kind of proof?

Just a Pabst Blue Ribbon and a fellow member of the Prolatariot to drink it with! Lineal him through! When the best are avoided then there can be no man who beat the best... Pass the pretzels!

[billeau2]

Since he has no boxing record, no.

Charlie has fought some of the best... varieties of tomatoe can. You guys wouldn't understand see? Charlie has that instinct... He just knows who the weakest guy in the room is! Its comical when he screws it up and gets ****** around by someone who can fight a bit.

[Willie Pep 229]

Charlie has fought some of the best... varieties of tomatoe can. You guys wouldn't understand see? Charlie has that instinct... He just knows who the weakest guy in the room is! Its comical when he screws it up and gets ****** around by someone who can fight a bit.

Yea, on both counts . . . I watched a short video on him . . . He is a bully and he does get **** around a bit. Floyd Sr. Was the funniest.