Why do people act like B Hopkins holds the record for middleweight title defenses

[therealpugilist]

Carlos Monzon was the lineal champion....the man who beat the man, with lineage that went back decades.....when the WBC rewarded a belt to the winner of Bennie Briscoe and Rodrigo Valdez he ended up beating him too.


The record is 14 title defenses....no one had a claim to his title...at all....he beat Nino Benvenuti, who beat Emile Griffith, who beat Dick Tiger and so on and so on


I love b hop and he is one of my favorite fighters but they should clarify that he holds the record for most IBF middleweight title defenses, not world middleweight championship defenses....he didn't unify until his 13th or 14th defense of the IBF which was vacant until he and no name Sergundo Mercado fought for it.

[Larry the boss]

True..........same way Holmes should be nowhere in the record books for defenses

[In Motion]

Who "acts" like that?

[Weebler I]

The sport changed though didn't it? The lineal champs were no longer the only champions.

[Sugar Adam Ali]

True..........same way Holmes should be nowhere in the record books for defenses

Holmes and Norton was a legit fight to decide the true champion when ali retired..
It wasn't like Holmes beat some fringe contender for a vacant belt

[Larry the boss]

The sport changed though didn't it? The lineal champs were no longer the only champions.

Well the old timers should not have to suffer, they should split it into catagories...Lineal title/ABC title

[Larry the boss]

Holmes and Norton was a legit fight to decide the true champion when ali retired..
It wasn't like Holmes beat some fringe contender for a vacant belt

But he was not recognized as "LINEAL" until he beat Ali..now you are splitting hairs....

[-PBP-]

I agree to an extent but the lineal champioship is imaginary. It's not really a set system of 1 champion vs top contender. Multiple belts scatter the contenders all over the place.

[therealpugilist]

True..........same way Holmes should be nowhere in the record books for defenses

As far as Holmes I give credit for being the champion considering he and Norton were probably the best heavyweights at the time......Ali, Foreman, and Frazier were not fighting


he also beat a number of guys who won various other titles during his reign and beat Ali who was lineal prior to him...I think it was clear who the man was from 1978-1985

The title was vacant and they were the top contenders....he started a new lineage that went almost 30 years from him, to spinks, to Tyson, to Holyfield, all the way til Lennox Lewis retired.


I give him credit for his defenses considering John Tate and Gerrie Coetzee were not as touted and fought for the vacant WBA belt after Ali retired.....no one held on to that trinket for more than one defense until Mike Tyson came along and defended it 8 times along with his other titles.

[Weebler I]

Well the old timers should not have to suffer, they should split it into catagories...Lineal title/ABC title

In what way are they suffering? They weren't taking on the best in every fight either.