Linear world champion

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Linear world champion is an unofficial world champion title in boxing , mixed martial arts and kickboxing , in which the world champion is determined via challenges. The title is initially awarded to the undisputed world champion of a weight class and is automatically transferred to the fighter who defeats him in a fight of this weight class. The linear world champion is therefore also informally referred to as " The man who defeated the man ..." (" The man, who beat the man, who beat the man ..." ).

Although "Linear World Champion" is not an official title that is actively promoted by the major boxing associations, it is considered the only true title in boxing, by some fighters, in specialist circles and by many fans. Since there is no uniform method for determining the first linear world champion and contradicting opinions on how to proceed when a fighter resigns or changes his weight class, there are several lists of linear world champions in boxing.

The linear world champion should not be confused with the undisputed world champion , who in boxing is the title holder of all four major boxing associations WBA , WBC , IBF and WBO in one weight class.

Boxing

history

The concept of the linear world champion developed out of dissatisfaction with the major boxing federations that all chose their own world champions, and especially because they refused to take them away from boxers if they refused to compete against champions of the competition. Before the 1970s, this was rarely the case. With the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) and the National Boxing Association (NBA, renamed WBA in 1962), there were only two recognized associations whose champions usually competed against each other after a short time. During this time, vacant titles were usually quickly fought through tournaments in knockout mode between two or more challengers.

With the recognition of other large boxing associations (initially WBC, later also WBO), all of which crowned their own world champions, and in some cases even awarded several titles in one weight class, there was a real inflation of titles in professional boxing. Was there at the beginning of the 60s with the NYSAC and WBA only two associations, each voted a world champion in the 17 weight classes, the WBC per class gives now own three titles: World Champion, Silver Champion and winner of the Diamond Belt ( Adamantine belt ). In March 2016 there were a total of 41 title holders in 17 classes in the WBA.

The title of linear world champion in boxing is an attempt to get back to a title that is recognized by everyone. Some boxers have stated that for them the linear title is a great personal achievement, like Lennox Lewis , or for them a great goal to be achieved as a boxer, like Nate Campbell .

Controversy

One problem with determining the linear world champion is what happens if the current title holder resigns, moves to a different weight class, or dies. If there is no uniform regulation for these cases, the concept of the linear world champion itself is up for debate. Since the linear world champion is just a theoretical title pursued by fans and the media, there is no money or organization that could organize a fight for a vacant title. Additionally, there would likely be no consensus on who would be eligible to fight for the title.

One example brought up by Cliff Rold of Boxing Scene is the light heavyweight title. This became vacant when Michael Spinks switched to heavyweight in 1985. While Rold sees Virgil Hill's victory over Henry Maske as the start of a new series of world champions, as does the Cyber ​​Boxing Zone ranking, Ring Magazine draws the line on Roy Jones.

Another criticism of the concept of the linear world champion is the possibility for fighters to defend their title against opponents who are viewed as inferior. For example, after George Foreman , linear world champion from 1994 until his loss to Shannon Briggs in 1997, his titles were stripped of the WBA and IBF in 1995, he first fought against two lower-ranking boxers before he faced Briggs again. The current linear world champion is therefore not always the current best.

The cyber boxing zone and boxing scene led Zsolt Erdei from his victory over Julio César González in 2004 to his move to the cruiserweight division in 2009 as the linear world champion in the light heavyweight division. Since he had never competed against any of the top-ranked competitors during that time, Cliff Rold of Boxing Scene admitted that while the concept that a linear world champion can only lose his title in the ring is solid, it turns out to be in the Practice sometimes found to be very error-prone.

Lists

There are three known lists of linear world champions in the various weight classes.

The Ring Magazine

First issue of boxing magazine The Ring

The original line of Ring Magazine starts with its first issue in the 20s and extends until the magazine went bankrupt in 1989. After it appeared again in 2001 under new management, The Ring did not charge its own line back to fill the gap. but named a new champion each time. The Cyber ​​Boxing Zone later heavily criticized this. The Ring Magazine had gambled his reputation in which it draw names from the butt ( pulling names out of its ass ).

In order to reduce the number of vacant titles, Ring Magazine has allowed title fights between the rankings 1–2 and 3–5 since 2012. This sparked further criticism of the magazine's list of credibility.

Sports Illustrated uses Ring Magazine's order for its galleries of world linear heavyweight and middleweight champions.

The current (as of June 2020) linear world champion of Ring Magazine in the heavyweight division is Tyson Fury .

Cyber ​​boxing zone

The Cyber ​​Boxing Zone maintains its list of information from Tarcy Callis of the International Boxing Research Organization. These lists were first published in 1994 and go back to the introduction of the Queensberry rules in 1895. The historical lists are updated as soon as new information is available.

If a boxer changes from one weight class to another, the title will not be declared vacant in the list of the Cyber ​​Boxing Zone.

Current (as of June 2020) linear world champion of Cyber ​​Boxing Zone in the heavyweight division is Tyson Fury .

Boxing scene

Boxing Scene's list editors do not agree with the order of the Ring Magazine or the Cyber ​​Boxing Zone; especially because of the frequent changes of boxers in the lower weight classes. Boxing Scene's lists typically date back to the 1990s.

Mixed martial arts

In mixed martial arts, the title of linear world champion is of particular relevance, since until the mid-2000s the best fighters in the world were distributed among many organizers of MMA competitions. These included organizers in Japan, such as Pride Fighting Championships , Pancrase and Dream, as well as the major organizers in the USA: Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and Strikeforce .

After the UFC has taken over most of its competitors, all linear world champions are currently under contract with the UFC.

Former UFC champion Jon Jones was stripped of the title following a hit-and-run complaint. Daniel Cormier , whom Jones had previously defeated, got the UFC title, but Jones remained a linear world champion because he was not defeated in a fight.

Controversy

Most of the controversy in mixed martial arts revolves around the question of how to determine the first linear master for each weight class. Early fights did not follow any generally accepted rules or weight classes. There was no common set of rules before 2000.

Some consider Mark Coleman's 1997 win, which made him UFC heavyweight champion, the starting point of the heavyweight line. Others argue that Royce Gracie's win at UFC 1 in 1993 marked the real start of the line because the tournament had no weight classes. In both cases, however, the line unites later, so that the current UFC heavyweight champion is always correct, no matter which line you follow.

Records

Image by Manny Pacquiao from 2009
Manny Pacquiao 2009
  • Muhammad Ali is the only three-time linear heavyweight boxing champion. He defeated Sonny Liston in 1964, George Foreman in 1974 and Leon Spinks in 1978.
  • Peter Aerts is the only five-time linear world champion in kickboxing. He defeated Patrick Smith in 1994, Andy Hug in 1997, Ernesto Hoost in 1998, Andy Hug in 1998 and Semmy Schilt in 2010.
  • Manny Pacquiao is the first and only boxer with linear world titles in five weight classes (flyweight, featherweight, super featherweight, light welterweight and welterweight) on the Cyber ​​Boxing Zone lists and on boxingscene.com. In addition, Pacquiao held three Ring Magazine titles in different weight classes (featherweight, super featherweight, and light welterweight).
  • Masato is the only three-time linear world champion in kickboxing up to 70 kg. He defeated Albert Kraus in 2003, Buakaw Banchamek in 2006 and Artur Kyshenko in 2008.
  • Mixed martial arts fighter Fyodor Emelyanenko held the title of linear world champion longer than any other fighter in history. He won the 2003 title from Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira and defended it 18 times before losing it to Fabrício Werdum in 2010 .

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Eric Raskin: In an ideal world, Casamayor fights the 'Galaxxy Warrior' next. ESPN, March 24, 2008, accessed April 15, 2016 .
  2. ^ Daniel J. Castellano: Critique of "Lineal" Boxing Championships. arcaneknowledge.org, 2011, accessed April 15, 2016 .
  3. ↑ Current WBA Champions. WBY News, April 15, 2016, accessed April 15, 2016 .
  4. ↑ Dan Rafael: Lewis retires, saying he has nothing left to prove. USA Today , February 8, 2004, accessed April 15, 2016 .
  5. ^ Daniel J. Castellano: Critique of "Lineal" Boxing Championships. arcaneknowledge.org, 2011, accessed April 15, 2016 .
  6. ^ The Light Heavyweight Boxing Champions. Cyber ​​Boxing Zone, accessed April 15, 2016 .
  7. ↑ Cliff Rold: Boxing's Ruler Mathematics: Champion Versus Champion. Cyber ​​Boxing Zone, accessed April 15, 2016 .
  8. ↑ Cliff Rold: Erdei Vacates: Ding-Dong, the Lineage Argument is Dead. Boxing Scene, November 14, 2009, accessed April 15, 2016 .
  9. ↑ Steve Kim: The Disputed Light Heavyweight Champion of the World. Max Boxing, November 26, 2006, archived from the original on October 15, 2004 ; accessed on April 15, 2016 .
  10. ↑ Mike DeLisa: What the CBZ Means When it Refers to “Lineal Championships”. Cyber ​​Boxing Zone, accessed April 15, 2016 .
  11. ↑ Chat with Dan Rafael. ESPN, accessed April 15, 2016 .
  12. ^ Tim Starks: The Horrible new Ring Magazine Championship Policy. The Queensberry Rules, May 4, 2012, accessed April 15, 2016 .
  13. ↑ Paul Magno: Ring Magazine's pretend rankings upgrade 'championship' policy. The Boxing Tribune, May 4, 2012, accessed April 15, 2016 .
  14. ^ Ruler heavyweight champions. Sports Illustrated, accessed April 15, 2016 .
  15. ↑ Lineal Middleweight Champions since 1941. Sports Illustrated, accessed April 15, 2016 .
  16. ↑ Mike DeLisa: What the CBZ Means When it Refers to “Lineal Championships”. Cyber ​​Boxing Zone, accessed April 15, 2016 .
  17. ↑ The Lineal Boxing World Champions. Cyber ​​Boxing Zone, accessed April 15, 2016 .
  18. ↑ David P. Greisman: "Fighting Words" - Mosley vs Mora Debacle: Caveat Empty. Boxing Scene, accessed April 15, 2016 .
  19. ↑ Cliff Rold: Boxing's Ruler Mathematics: Champion Versus Champion. Cyber ​​Boxing Zone, accessed April 15, 2016 .
  20. ↑ Jake Donovan: Crowning And Recognizing A Lineal Champion - Part I. Boxing Scene, accessed on April 15, 2016 .
  21. ↑ Jake Donovan: Crowning And Recognizing A Lineal Champion - Part II. Boxing Scene, accessed on April 15, 2016 (English).
  22. ↑ Jake Donovan: Crowning And Recognizing A Lineal Champion - Part III. Boxing Scene, accessed April 15, 2016 .
  23. ↑ Jake Donovan: Crowning And Recognizing A Lineal Champion - Part IV. Boxing Scene, accessed on April 15, 2016 (English).
  24. ^ UFC purchases Strikeforce; UFC boss says organizations to operate independently. USA Today, March 12, 2011, accessed April 15, 2016 .
  25. ^ Jon Jones stripped of UFC light heavyweight title, suspended indefinitely. Fox Sports Networks , accessed April 15, 2016 .
  26. ^ Lineal Championship Histories. Fight Matrix, accessed April 15, 2016 .
  27. ^ Williams: Why the lightweight division's lineal championship my be the last remaining outside of the UFC. MMA Torch, May 26, 2013, accessed April 15, 2016 .
  28. ↑ Kirik Jenness: Bigfoot: The lineal champion of MMA? The Underground, February 4, 2013, accessed April 15, 2016 .
  29. ↑ Kickboxing lineal title history: Lineal Heavyweight gold on the line at Glory 19. SB Nation, February 6, 2015, accessed on April 15, 2016 (English).
  30. ↑ The Lineal Boxing World Champions. Cyber ​​Boxing Zone, accessed April 15, 2016 .
  31. ^ The Lineal Flyweight Boxing Champions. Cyber ​​Boxing Zone, accessed April 15, 2016 .
  32. ↑ The Lineal Welterweight Champs. Cyber ​​Boxing Zone, accessed April 15, 2016 .
  33. ↑ Boxing Ratings. Boxing Scene, accessed April 15, 2016 .
  34. ↑ Michael Rosenthal: Pacquiao seeking title in record seventh division. Ring TV, October 28, 2009, accessed April 15, 2016 .
  35. ↑ Fraser Coffeen: Kickboxing Lineal Title History: 7 lineal titles on the line at Glory 18. SB Nation, November 7, 2014, accessed April 15, 2016 .
  36. ^ Greg Savage: Fedor loses: Werdum shocks the world. Sherdog, June 26, 2010, accessed April 15, 2016 .