Why Do We Continue to Recognize the Lineal Championship When....

[therealpugilist]

The fact that Martinez got injured in no way erases his body of work. Prior to the injury he was the consensus best middleweight, a spot he earned in the ring by beating the previous best middleweight.

Golovkin having a parallel rise by dominating mediocre opposition doesn't change that.

Martinez earned the right to be the champion, you just cant take that away from him because he aged and injured his legs

these GGG fans trying to find loopholes on what a true champion is....you have to beat someone to be the man...man!!! tell em shoulderRoll

[techliam]

The fact that Martinez got injured in no way erases his body of work. Prior to the injury he was the consensus best middleweight, a spot he earned in the ring by beating the previous best middleweight.

Golovkin having a parallel rise by dominating mediocre opposition doesn't change that.

Nor should Cotto be claiming a part of the 'legacy' that Martinez established, just because Martinez was injured.. because at that point, Martinez was not the best middleweight as you put it. Nor was Cotto for beating him, nor is Canelo for beating Cotto at 155. The lineal system is severely flawed.

Golovkin is the universally recognised no.1 middleweight, which is what made Martinez's title important. A lineal title on its own means nothing

[ShoulderRoll]

Nor should Cotto be claiming a part of the 'legacy' that Martinez established, just because Martinez was injured.. because at that point, Martinez was not the best middleweight as you put it. Nor was Cotto for beating him, nor is Canelo for beating Cotto at 155. The lineal system is severely flawed.

Golovkin is the universally recognised no.1 middleweight, which is what made Martinez's title important. A lineal title on its own means nothing

If you want to say that Golovkin should have been given an opportunity to fight Sergio then I probably wouldn't disagree. It's one of the many things wrong with boxing.

But beating him in the ring is the only way that he can claim to be next in that line of champions. Without that he's just another belt holder in a world with far too many of them. It's not quite as special.

That's why the Canelo fight is critical to his legacy. He really should bend in negotiations and do whatever it takes to get Alvarez in the ring.

[The D3vil]

He beat Wlad pretty convincingly but yeah, an argument can be made that Wlad is still better hence the rematch. But Ortiz? Wtf has Ortiz done that Fury hasn't? That's bs and you're trying too hard.

Ortiz had an extensive amateur background coming from Cuba and is more skilled than all of the heavyweights

[HeroBando]

If you want to say that Golovkin should have been given an opportunity to fight Sergio then I probably wouldn't disagree. It's one of the many things wrong with boxing.

But beating him in the ring is the only way that he can claim to be next in that line of champions. Without that he's just another belt holder in a world with far too many of them. It's not quite as special.

That's why the Canelo fight is critical to his legacy. He really should bend in negotiations and do whatever it takes to get Alvarez in the ring.

Alvarez doesn't wanna get in the ring with Ggg no matter what. He's already forfeited.

[-PBP-]

.....like I said...no one brought this silly topic up until GGG hit the scene.

I dont like Canelo dropped the belt....its just that a belt


The man who beat the man has been a staple in boxing for hundreds of years.

its not gonna change because a fighter has a few fans that are disappointed that he isnt the lineal champion yet


Roy Jones was never lineal but had all the belts, just like GGG. Doesnt change my boy roy wasnt the man who beat the man. Regardless, what roy did do was clean out the division with or without DM and beat guys he never fought like Tarver, Reggie Johnson and actually has a better resume at 175 than DM. GGG can do the same or just keep collecting belts until Canelo officially moves down.

Most think he is the best anyway so once canelo moves down, all GGG has to do is beat the next highest contender and he is the lineal champion. He already has 3/4 major belts

championships are won in the ring, not in board rooms.

the man who beat the man will always matter in boxing and the alphabet bs is too confusing. they strip guys as they please for whatever reason they make up. the WBA has two belts for crying out loud.

Weight divisions have been. A staple in boxing for hundreds of years and Canelo created his own and fights welterweights in that division.

I want a system where you have 1 champion and that champion is held to a standard of defending his title against the #1 fighter on his weight class. That's how boxing is supposed to work.

A 1 vs 2 matchup at MW hasn't taken place since 2010. How can we accurately define who the man is when the best won't fight each other?

[NateHound]

1 vs 3 never establishes a 'lineage'

The last real 1 vs 2 was Golovkin vs Murray. But the system is so backwards that apparently a one-legged Martinez or 155 Cotto were still 'the man' at middleweight. 'the man' really has no significance in this case

THIS. So much this. If these 10k post GGG haters actually watched boxing they'd see that Murray was EASILY top 2 at that stage. But no, cripple Martinez and Cotto were lmao. GGG only beat bums.

[niceyboo3]

I'm lost. i dont understand how you can vacate and still be lineal. The one who he beat wanted to drop the belt also. It's like me giving you guys my Xbox one and I'm keeping the games. I'm a little lost.

[techliam]

If you want to say that Golovkin should have been given an opportunity to fight Sergio then I probably wouldn't disagree. It's one of the many things wrong with boxing.

But beating him in the ring is the only way that he can claim to be next in that line of champions. Without that he's just another belt holder in a world with far too many of them. It's not quite as special.

That's why the Canelo fight is critical to his legacy. He really should bend in negotiations and do whatever it takes to get Alvarez in the ring.

Alvarez is nothing but a money fight, and a decent win. To say Golovkin needs him for his legacy is laughable, because his 'lineal' title is illegitimate. You said it yourself, Martinez earnt his distinction by being the best middleweight, by beating the best middleweight. Cotto and Canelo did not. Golovkin has earnt that distinction, that's all that matters. The division may be weaker than when Martinez ruled the roost, but thats a separate matter. Your resistance to recognise Golovkin, and your insistence on following a barely recognised broken system is on you

[Eastlos]

Alvarez is nothing but a money fight, and a decent win. To say Golovkin needs him for his legacy is laughable, because his 'lineal' title is illegitimate. You said it yourself, Martinez earnt his distinction by being the best middleweight, by beating the best middleweight. Cotto and Canelo did not. Golovkin has earnt that distinction, that's all that matters. The division may be weaker than when Martinez ruled the roost, but thats a separate matter. Your resistance to recognise Golovkin, and your insistence on following a barely recognised broken system is on you

LMFAO, who exactly did Lil G beat @ MW again? His two best wins have been against a pillow fists Martin Murray and no defense brawler in Lemieux. If those two W entitles Lil G to be named lineal champ at MW then you're right the system is broke. Whether you like it or not Canelo is the Middleweight Lineal Champ and when Canelo walks out to the ring in his next fight Michael Buffer will introduce him as such.