No lineal champion since 2004? How do you win the title?

[FightFan80]

So, the lineal title has been vacant since 2004 apparently, but how does one win the vacant title? What must be done? What sequence of belts need to be held? This vacancy can't go on forever!

Do we continue the legacy by awarding it to the man who holds the WBC or WBA titles? How about The Ring title? Whats the most prestigious and how should we decide the true lineal champion?

[jas]

Top 2 ranked fighters facing each other
Not sure what division you are referring to by the way

[DoubleStandar]

Top 2 ranked fighters facing each other
Not sure what division you are referring to by the way

That is the ring title. A lineal belt is won when 1 fighter unifys the division and cleans it out getting all the major belts. That makes him the undisputed champion and the so called "men" that fighter can get strip of all his belts but he still the "the men". when that men lose he passes that lineal belt and the other one become "the men who beat the men".

Cotto holds right now the lineal championship that Hopkins won by beating Tito in 2001.

[Russian Crushin]

For which division? There's a division which hasn't had a champion in like 40 years

Anyway it's the unanimous too 2 fighters that fight to form the lineage

[Russian Crushin]

That is the ring title. A lineal belt is won when 1 fighter unifys the division and cleans it out getting all the major belts. That makes him the undisputed champion and the so called "men" that fighter can get strip of all his belts but he still the "the men". when that men lose he passes that lineal belt and the other one become "the men who beat the men".

Cotto holds right now the lineal championship that Hopkins won by beating Tito in 2001.

No its not....

[jas]

That is the ring title. A lineal belt is won when 1 fighter unifys the division and cleans it out getting all the major belts. That makes him the undisputed champion and the so called "men" that fighter can get strip of all his belts but he still the "the men". when that men lose he passes that lineal belt and the other one become "the men who beat the men".

Cotto holds right now the lineal championship that Hopkins won by beating Tito in 2001.

No.

Holding all major belts makes you the undisputed champion

A vacate lineal throne can only be competed for by the top 2 ranked fighters - traditionally as per Ring rankings but because of promoter influences regarding Ring magazine, TRB rankings are now being used as a reference point

[zmm001]

That is the ring title. A lineal belt is won when 1 fighter unifys the division and cleans it out getting all the major belts. That makes him the undisputed champion and the so called "men" that fighter can get strip of all his belts but he still the "the men". when that men lose he passes that lineal belt and the other one become "the men who beat the men".

Cotto holds right now the lineal championship that Hopkins won by beating Tito in 2001.

No the Lineage can simply be restarted by the top 2 fighters in the division ABC Belts have nothing to do with it. Wlad is the lineal Champ and has never been Undisputed Champ.

[DoubleStandar]

No its not....

The Lineal belt Cotto hold dates back to Hopkins beating Tito. That created the first undisputed MW champions since Toney vacated his belts.


"Nonpareil" Jack Dempsey (1884-1891)
Bob Fitzsimmons (1891, Fitz vacated the title 1895)
Tommy Ryan (1898-1906, vacated title)
Stanley Ketchel (1907-1908)
Billy Papke (1908)
Stanley Ketchel (1908, Ketchel was shot and killed, October 15, 1910)
After Ketchel was murdered, the title was "re-claimed" by Billy Papke. Papke lost to "Cyclone" Johnny Thompson, but the title was also claimed by Hugo Kelly, Frank Klaus, and Eddie McGoorty. Klaus beat Georges Carpentier and Papke to re-establish the lineage.

Frank Klaus(1913)
George Chip (1913-1914)
Al McCoy (1914-1917)
Mike O'Dowd (1917-1920)
Johnny Wilson (1920-1923)
Harry Greb (1923-1926)
Tiger Flowers (1926)
Mickey Walker (1926-1931, vacated title to campaign as heavyweight)
1931-1941: Title claimants during this era included William "Gorilla" Jones, Marcel Thil, Ben Jeby, Lou Brouillard, Vince Dundee, Teddy Yarosz, Eddie "Babe" Risko, Freddie Steele, Fred Apostoli, Al Hostak, "Solly" Krieger, "Ceferino" Garcia, Ken Overlin, Tony Zale and Billy Soose! Whew!

Tony Zale (1941-1947)
Rocky Graziano1947-1948)
Tony Zale (1948)
Marcel Cerdan (1948-1949)
Jake LaMotta (1949-1951)
"Sugar" Ray Robinson (1951)
Randy Turpin (1951)
"Sugar" Ray Robinson (1951-1952)
Carl "Bobo" Olson (1952-1955)
"Sugar" Ray Robinson (1955-1957)
Gene Fullmer (1957)
"Sugar" Ray Robinson (1957)
Carmen Basilio (1957-1958)
"Sugar" Ray Robinson (1958-1960)
Paul Pender (1960-1961)
Terry Downes (1961-1962)
Paul Pender (1962-1963, retired)
**** Tiger (1963)
Joey Giardello (1963-1965)
**** Tiger (1965-1966)
Emile Griffith(1966-1967)
Nino Benvenuti (1967)
Emile Griffith (1967)
Nino Benvenuti (1968-1970)
Carlos Monzon (1970-1977, retired)
Rodrigo Valdez (1977-1978)
Hugo Corro (1978-1979)
Vito Antuofermo (1979-1980)
Alan Minter (1980)
Marvin Hagler (1980-1987)
"Sugar" Ray Leonard (1987, vacated title)
Michael Nunn (1989-1991)
James Toney (1991-1993, vacated title)
Bernard Hopkins (2001- 2005)
Jermain Taylor (2005-2007)
Kelly Pavlik (2007-2010)
Sergio Martinez (2010-2014)
Miguel Cotto (2014-present)

[DoktorSleepless]

I think back in the day, you won the ring belt by unifying 3 belts. Then it was changed to the winner between the top two contenders. Now either the #1 contender or the #2 contender can win it by beating the #3, #4, or #5 contender.

[Hougigo]

Lineal titles are fun

LHW lineage: Hill->Michalczewski->Gonzalez->Erdei->Grachev->Rodriguez->Ward***10;***10;Ward lineal champ @ 168 & 175. And that***39;s why lineage is dumb.

— Ryan Bivins (@RyanBivins) March 31, 2015