The lineal HW title. A fart in the wind.

[kafkod]

What happened to the fabled, all important, lineal HW title after Usyk beat Fury?

Fury was introduced as the former lineal champ for the rematch. But Usyk, interestingly, wasn't introduced as the reigning lineal champ.

He wasn't introduced as lineal champion for his unification fight with Dubois either. In fact, there wasn't a peep from anybody about the all important lineal title at any time during the build up to that fight.

So what happened to the fabled lineal - "the only title that really matters" - during Usyk vs Dubois 2?

billeau2 Coverdale Willie Pep 229 JAB5239 Willow The Wisp

Can any of you guys tell me?

[famicommander]

Usyk is still the champion.

If he throws the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, IBO, and Ring belts in the garbage tomorrow but then continues fighting, he'll still be the real world champion. Until he loses or retires, he's the world champion no matter which belts he does or doesn't carry around or how the ring announcer wants to introduce him.

[TheIronMike]

Lineal is only important when the champ is stripped of his titles.

[Coverdale]

What happened to the fabled, all important, lineal HW title after Usyk beat Fury?

Fury was introduced as the former lineal champ for the rematch. But Usyk, interestingly, wasn't introduced as the reigning lineal champ.

He wasn't introduced as lineal champion for his unification fight with Dubois either. In fact, there wasn't a peep from anybody about the all important lineal title at any time during the build up to that fight.

So what happened to the fabled lineal - "the only title that really matters" - during Usyk vs Dubois 2?

billeau2 Coverdale Willie Pep 229 JAB5239 Willow The Wisp

Can any of you guys tell me?

This is primarily because the media which presents boxing to us is ignorant. DAZN's Kate Scott told us Jack Dempsey was "one of the first to unify the division" when presenting a historical overview of the heavyweight division.

The adjective lineal is unimportant, it's really just a descriptor to distinguish "the heavyweight championship" from sanctioning body titlists. Usyk is the world heavyweight champion.

Given the authority you bestow upon the sanctioning bodies, you presumably don't recognise Usyk as "undisputed" given the WBC, WBA and WBO each have secondary titlists (two in the WBA's case!) calling themselves "world" champion?

[M312]

I mean, Fury was never a true lineal champion anyway, because Wladimir wasn't.

Wladimir never unified the titles or beat his brother, who most agree would've beaten him easily.

It's just a marketing ploy that Usyk doesn't need to use.

[famicommander]

I mean, Fury was never a true lineal champion anyway, because Wladimir wasn't.

Wladimir never unified the titles or beat his brother, who most agree would've beaten him easily.

It's just a marketing ploy that Usyk doesn't need to use.

Wlad never unified? What on earth are you talking about?

February 23, 2008: IBF/IBO champion Wladimir Klitschko UD 12 over WBO champion Sultan Ibragimov
June 20, 2009: WBO/IBF/IBO champion Wladimir Klitschko RTD 9 over Ruslan Chagaev for the vacant Ring belt
July 2, 2011: Ring/WBO/IBF/IBO champion Wladimir Klitschko UD 12 over WBA champion David Haye
October 5, 2013: Ring/WBA/WBO/IBF/IBO champion Wladimir Klitschko UD 12 over Alexander Povetkin for the vacant TBRB world title

Vitali was already out of the picture by the time Wlad fought Povetkin. So if you don't recognize his lineal claim from the Chagaev or ibragimov wins, why not for the Povetkin win?

[M312]

Wlad never unified? What on earth are you talking about?

February 23, 2008: IBF/IBO champion Wladimir Klitschko UD 12 over WBO champion Sultan Ibragimov
June 20, 2009: WBO/IBF/IBO champion Wladimir Klitschko RTD 9 over Ruslan Chagaev for the vacant Ring belt
July 2, 2011: Ring/WBO/IBF/IBO champion Wladimir Klitschko UD 12 over WBA champion David Haye
October 5, 2013: Ring/WBA/WBO/IBF/IBO champion Wladimir Klitschko UD 12 over Alexander Povetkin for the vacant TBRB world title

Vitali was already out of the picture by the time Wlad fought Povetkin. So if you don't recognize his lineal claim from the Chagaev or ibragimov wins, why not for the Povetkin win?

Its not that I don't recognise the claim, it's that he was never fully unified. That's just fact.

He wasn't even the best, his brother was.

It was just a marketing ploy as 'he would never face his brother'. That's fine, but that doesn't make you default lineal, especially when your brother wipes the floor with you.

Just got to accept that there was no lineal champion.


Also, Vitali was still WBC champion when Wladimir faced Povetkin btw

[kafkod]

Usyk is still the champion.

If he throws the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, IBO, and Ring belts in the garbage tomorrow but then continues fighting, he'll still be the real world champion. Until he loses or retires, he's the world champion no matter which belts he does or doesn't carry around or how the ring announcer wants to introduce him.

If he carried on fighting and beating legit contenders without his belts he would be recognised as the best HW in the world and the de facto world HW champion.

But that would have nothing to do with any fictitious, non-existent lineal title and everything to with the fact that he beat all the top contenders, won all the recognised title belts, and was still undefeated.

[kafkod]

This is primarily because the media which presents boxing to us is ignorant. DAZN's Kate Scott told us Jack Dempsey was "one of the first to unify the division" when presenting a historical overview of the heavyweight division.

The adjective lineal is unimportant, it's really just a descriptor to distinguish "the heavyweight championship" from sanctioning body titlists. Usyk is the world heavyweight champion.

Given the authority you bestow upon the sanctioning bodies, you presumably don't recognise Usyk as "undisputed" given the WBC, WBA and WBO each have secondary titlists (two in the WBA's case!) calling themselves "world" champion?

It wasn't the media who proclaimed Tyson Fury as lineal champion, it was Fury and his influential backers.

I don't bestow any authority on anybody. Who the fuck to you think I am, King of the world?

I'm just a boxing fan with enough common sense to understand how secondary world titles stand in relation to actual world titles.

[The Big Dunn]

What happened to the fabled, all important, lineal HW title after Usyk beat Fury?

Fury was introduced as the former lineal champ for the rematch. But Usyk, interestingly, wasn't introduced as the reigning lineal champ.

He wasn't introduced as lineal champion for his unification fight with Dubois either. In fact, there wasn't a peep from anybody about the all important lineal title at any time during the build up to that fight.

So what happened to the fabled lineal - "the only title that really matters" - during Usyk vs Dubois 2?

billeau2 Coverdale Willie Pep 229 JAB5239 Willow The Wisp

Can any of you guys tell me?

I always thought espn just kept using that to hype Fury and the fight and never really cared about it.

But you’re right, suddenly it doesn’t get mentioned anymore.