The best heavyweight world title holders who never wore the real championship.

[Willow The Wisp]

I think Larry Holmes was considered the "lineal" champion. It just wasn't "linear."

But then again the "linear" chain of champions stopped with either Jeffries, if you accept Burns, or with Tunney if you don't accept Burns.

But the word "lineal" in definition allows for both, interruptions in, and reestablishment of, the linear line.

Thus we use the term lineal.

So by recognition alone I think Holmes met the lineal criteria at some point.

Indeed he did. He beat the number 1 ranked guy, Norton, who had beaten the number 2 guy, Young for that WBC title that Los Bandidos had strippedfrom Leon Spinks; then he beat the last two linial champions easily, Ali and Leon Spinks. You can't ask for anything more clear than that. Holmes dominated his 1978 - 1985 era as very few champions ever did.
QueensburyRules just likes to be silly.

[Willow The Wisp]

I'm just going to throw this up, for no good reason at all.....
The best heavyweight world title holders who never wore the real championship.

1. Harry Wills
2. Anthony Joshua
3. Deontay Wilder
4. Sam Langford
5. Ken Norton
6. Vitali Klitschko
7. Luther McCarty
8. Jimmy Ellis
9. Peter Jackson
10.Joe Jeanette
11.George "The Leiperville Shadow" Godfrey
12.Sam McVey
13.Ernie Terrell
14.Tim Witherspoon
15.Jimmy Bivins
16.Andy Ruiz Jr
17.Joseph Parker
18.Mike Weaver
19.Tommy Morrison
20.Ed "Gunboat" Smith
21.Daniel Dubois
22.Peter Maher
23.Gerrie Coetzee
24.Obie Walker
25.Frank Bruno

History in motion.....

A.J.'s horrific KO loss to yet another underdog this past weekend, sadly, has a profound effect on his career assessment and legacy, insomuch that he is still regarded as prime and was heavily favored to win...once again.

He is still one of the better heavyweights of the 21st century, but on my list, the effect is that he drops from no. 2 All the way down to no. 5 or 6.
He still beats out Vitali, who may have beaten A.J. H2H (we can only guess), but he still tops him for quality of opposition, where Vitali's score is even worse than Wilder's. (Weak points for both long time top heavyweights).
If Vitali had stepped in with the linial king, his brother; and fought him to a draw; we'd have a case for Vitali being ranked as Wilder's peer.

[QueensburyRules]

This has absolutely nothing to do with what I posted. But that's what you do, sabotage threads.

By the way.....Holmes is universally seen as a top 10 ATG heavyweight. In many cases top 5. Einstein.

- - U and Tubby Lar are as hollow as his record against standing champs having won their title is exactly zer0, what Einstein predict U IQ to be...