Martinez became champion in 2010 by knocking off Kelly Pavlik and held the title until Cotto stopped him in Round 10 of their fight last year. Early boxing champions at various weight divisions were established by acclamation between 1880 and 1920. Retirements or disputed results could lead to a championship being split among several men for periods of time. Cruiserweight . Heshould be commended for the risk he took fighting Martinez last year. However, the initial concern over a promoter owning a world championship title organization has mostly waned since that time. Dan Severn at UFC 4 on Dec 16, 1994 It is naturally held in high regard, viewed by many as the most prestigious title a boxer can win given that it comes with no required title defenses against mandatory challengers and cannot be relinquished by order of a sanctioning body. Tim Sylvia at Affliction: Banned on Jul 19, 2008 #OnThisDay 2015 @Tyson_Fury went into the Lion's den to defeat Wladimir Klitschko on points, winning WBA (Super),IBF,WBO,IBO,The Ring, &"lineal" HW titles. Should he pursue greater heights? "It's very important for me to fight the best because I want to cement my legacy," Alvarez said. ", "What if boxing had one champion for every weight division? Outside of these four major sanctioning organizations exist other sanctioning bodies, too. The subject is one that draws much scrutiny around the boxing world. Mark Coleman at Pride 32 on Oct 21, 2006 [8], Another criticism of the lineal championship is that a fighter may defend it against inferior opponents. Yes, Cotto is the lineal middleweight champion of the world. Regardless, its also important to note that lineal championships are mostly tracked by the hardcore boxing community only and that the term has only picked up steam in the mainstream as of late because it directly benefited a boxing promoter, Top Rank, and its fighter, Fury. These were first published in 1994, and are retrospective to the introduction of the Queensberry Rules in 1885. The lineal champion is defined as "the man who beat the man." Tsuyoshi Kohsaka at Pride Bushido 6 on Apr 3, 2005 The last undisputed champion in the heavyweight division was Lennox Lewis back in November 1999, when hedefeated Evander Holyfield in their rematch. By the following year, the WBC had formed in Mexico City as a rival sanctioning group. Longtime welterweight champion Robinson ( right ) moved up to challenge Jake LaMotta for the middleweight title on Feb. 14, 1951 -- a gruesome bout known darkly as the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Dennis Hallman at UFC 33 on Sep 28, 2001 Remco Pardoel at UFC 2 on Mar 11, 1994 Bob Sapp at Pride Shockwave on Aug 28, 2002 Over 30 years have passed since the Scotsman was crowned champion, but initially, boxings elite seemed to merely use it as a pit-stop, en-route to Light Heavyweight. Opinions conflict as to what to do when such a breach of continuity occurs. Fury was the Ring lineal champ until his retirement. But in hindsight, Martinez, age 39 at the time, was damaged goods. Where a WBC Franchise champ exists in a weight class, that fighter is the legit world champ. 5. def. The gravitas of the true championship will be vitiated no longer. He has grown as a fighter every year, learning from victories and his losses. Robinson ( right ) returned to the ring in 1955 after a two-and-a-half-year retirement and quickly earned a shot at Bobo Olson for the title. 2007: Floyd Mayweather The WBA determines its mandatory challengers the same way as the IBF. This page was last edited on 11 May 2023, at 23:13. IBF president Daryl Peoples explainedto theSunday Puncherin February 2018 how the organization goes about determining mandatory challengers for their champions. His title reign lasted just 64 days, when Robinson won their rematch. Oleksandr USYK - WBA, WBO, IBF. Roan Carneiro at Mecca: World Vale Tudo 6 on Jan 31, 2002 After all, boxing has been beset by world title confusion for years now, and supporters of the TBRB hope their support of stricter title lineages move the needle away from the confusing mess of today into a more reasonable and sane future. 2. def. The board only awards vacant championships when the two top-ranked fighters in any division meet, and currently recognizes legitimate world champions or "true champions" each weight classes. Cotto was the smaller man moving up to face a bigger, stronger and more athletic southpaw who told Bleacher Report he had every intention of knocking the Puerto Rican out. The strictness of TBRBs championship policy can be seen in this excerpt from its charter posted on their website: The first-ranked contender must fight the second-ranked contender to become champion. Toshikatsu Harada at ROF 21: Full Blast on Feb 11, 2006 In instances where the title is contested in another organization that has dissimilar weight classes, the nearest weight class would be considered a valid defense if contested at that weight. This included Japanese promotions such as Pride Fighting Championships, Pancrase, and Dream, as well as US-based promotions such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), World Extreme Cage Fighting (WEC), and Strikeforce. Yes, Cotto is the lineal middleweight champion of the world. Once a consensus champion had been awarded the title, the championship could usually be taken only by beating the reigning holder, establishing a lineal championship. These lower-level titles include the Intercontinental, National and other regional title belts. This represents a legitimate contention of the lineal UFC Welterweight title. #cantwait https://t.co/0LgyYlKuxe, Rachel (@rachel_mccarson) October 13, 2020. [21], BoxingScene.com disagrees with the lineages given by The Ring and by CBZ, especially in lower weight divisions with a higher rate of champions changing division. These are not official or recognized championships within the UFC but follow the original titles as they would have been contested in various promotions at the same weight class. 3. def. Tyson FURY - WBC. [28], After the new editors of The Ring announced a controversial new championship policy in May 2012,[29] three prominent members of the Ring Advisory Panel resigned. on Dec 31, 2007 Is Conlan done as a serious contender? Roger Huerta at UFC Fight Night: Diaz vs. Guillard on Sep 16, 2009 When you're the WBC champion in any weight class, many pundits consider that individual to be the premier fighter in their respective division. The aggressive counterpuncher met Gene Fullmer at San Francisco's Candlestick Park for the WBA middleweight title that was vacated when Paul Pender retired. Spencer Fisher at UFC 78 on Nov 17, 2007, 1. def. The International Boxing Federation was officially formed in April 1977. Where a WBC Franchise champ does not exist but the regular WBC champ does, the latter is a legit world champ. The lineal champion is defined as "the man who beat the man." Its history can be drawn back to the late 1800s with John L. Sullivan in the heavyweight division at a time when there was considered one true champ. 3. def. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. DAZN uses cookies to help us deliver our services and improve your user experience. Dan Henderson at Pride 24 on Dec 23, 2002, 1. def. 6. def. Middleweight (160 lbs.) Indeed, the lineal championship is a truly prestigious title to hold. 2000: Felix Trinidad. To help clear those muddy waters up, here is a complete guide to professional boxings championship system. But since that fight, hes made a mockery of perhaps the second-most celebrated boxing title in the entire world (behind heavyweight). The Brooklyn-born, Philly-bred crowd favorite didn't win the middleweight title until his 16th year as a professional, outpointing Dick Tiger at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall. Lennox Lewis[3]) or goal (e.g., Nate Campbell[1]). Longest Undefeated Streak (Active Fighters), Longest Undefeated Streak (Retired Fighters), The Disparity in Fighter Compensation: Examining the Underpayment of MMA Fighters, Fight Matrix Program UFC Fight Night: Kara-France vs. Albazi (06-03-2023), Current MMA Rankings Updated (05-28-2023), Six Fights That Show Why July 2023 Could be the Best UFC Month of All Time, Making Smart Choices: How to Win at Online Betting. [9], In mixed martial arts, most controversy centers on the proper method for determining the first lineal MMA champion within each weight class. Argentina's Corro ( left, in yellow ) won the title from Colombia's Rodrigo Valdez on a unanimous decision and defended it twice, including a points victory over Valdez in Buenos Aires. Lineal championships were born out of the problem of having so many sanctioning bodies and ratings panels created in the first place. Apart from each sanctioning body's exhaustive list of championship belts, there's a unique dispute over just how "lineal" championships in boxing are ultimately determined. Mark Bocek at UFC 73 on Jul 7, 2007 Tsuyoshi Kohsaka at Pride Bushido 6 on Apr 3, 2005 Canelo Alvarez defeated Caleb Plant on November 6th, 2021, via 11th round TKO, to fill the Lineal vacancy - the two men were the top two junior middleweights in the world, as per the divisional ratings at the TBRB and Left Hook Boxing.
Nobuhiko Takada at Pride Grand Prix 2000 Opening Round on Jan 30, 2000, 1. def. 1 and No. He was also the Lineal Light Flyweight Champion and the interim WBC Flyweight Champion. Heath Herring at Pride 17 on Nov 3, 2001 In that era, a title vacancy was generally filled by having a single-elimination tournament box-off between two or more top-ranked contenders. 4. def. And most recently, Teofimo Lopez accomplished the feat at lightweight and at just 23 years of age. An Australian version of the world title which existed briefly between 1914 and 1916 gained considerable credibility because its holder, Les Darcy, was widely believed to be best boxer in the world in this division. HYPED for #LomachenkoLopez on Sat! 2005: Ricky Hatton In general, a boxer can only win a lineal championship by defeating the previous lineal champion in the ring. 16. def. An excellent modern-day example of this concept in motion is when Tyson Fury became the lineal heavyweight champion by defeating Wladimir Klitschko in 2015. Given that information, most mainstream sports fans would probably expect there to be no more than 17 world champions in professional boxing at any given time. RELATED LINK: Lineal Middleweight Title Fights. I hold the crown. Some require that top "contenders for the title" must fight to become the next lineal champion, while others require a new undisputed champion before the lineage can continue. He'd lose it for good to Emile Griffith on a unanimous decision. His life story was the basis of the 1956 film Somebody Up There Likes Me . 15. def. Champions were recognized by public acclamation. 6. def. All the fighters who are lineal champions, including Cotto, became so by what they did inside a boxing ring. 2023 ABG-SI LLC. WBO: Janibek Alimkhanuly. Real or Not: Janibek the best middleweight? Jon Fitch at UFC 87 on Aug 9, 2008 to recognize different champions, and in particular to strip a champion of his title for refusing to fight its top-ranked contender. The short answer is that professional boxing does not have a single overarching governing body, so over time, and for various reasons, professional boxing has accumulated and accepted multiple sanctioning bodies and ratings panels. 2013: Floyd Mayweather Prior to the 1970s, this rarely happened; the National Boxing Association (NBA) and the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) sometimes recognized different champions, but there was usually only a short interval before one champion defeated the other. Former UFC champion Jon Jones was suspended and stripped of the title for reasons resulting from an alleged hit-and-run felony charge. 2. def. [12] In 2007, The Ring was acquired by the owners of fight promoter Golden Boy Promotions,[13] which has publicized The Ring's world championship when this is at stake in fights it promotes (such as Joe Calzaghe vs. Roy Jones, Jr. in 2008). 6. def. In addition, the WBC announced the winner would receive their vacated version of the title. Mirko Filipovic at Pride Final Conflict 2005 on Aug 28, 2005 On March 28, 1984, Murray Sutherland, with a modest record of 41-11-1, defeated Ernie Singletary to become the first internationally accepted World Champion in the 168lbs weight class. LAS VEGAS - When Gennady Golovkin faces lineal middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez on Saturday night, the Kazakh fighter will be attempting to break a record that many thought was untouchable. Patrick Smith at UFC 2 on Mar 11, 1994 10. def. He made five successful title defenses before a TKO loss to James Toney. [34] Prior to this, no such impartial, independent rankings existed. The weight class is determined by actual fighter weight requirements, not nominally, such as in the Welterweight title that began as a UFC Lightweight title contested at 170lbs. Surprisingly, and somewhat ironically, the alphabet organizations trace their lineage back to an attempt during the 1920s to clear up confusion in boxing regarding the legitimate world champions of the day. I'm the king." Charlo Vs Rosario was the Ring/ESPN #1 Vs TBRB/Boxing News #1, at 154lbs. Clear top contender matches took place to determine the next champion. Your current lineal Middleweight champion is Israel Adesanya. Support Fightmatrix.com and reach thousands of MMA fans by advertising with us! 12. def. Kazuo Misaki at Pride Bushido 10 on Apr 2, 2006, 1. def. . These three members (Springs Toledo, Cliff Rold and Tim Starks) became the founding members of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board,[30] which was formed over the summer of 2012 with the assistance of Stewart Howe of England. Tito Ortiz at UFC 22 on Sep 24, 1999 Muhammad Ali, for example, is the only heavyweight boxer to ever claim the title three times. Joe Doerksen at WEC 29 on Aug 5, 2007 Thiago Alves at UFC 100 on Jul 11, 2009 RT @LinealBoxChamp: Middleweight Champion, Claressa Shields, has already beaten the No.1, No.2 and No.4 ranked middleweights in the world; on Saturday night she takes on No.3-ranked, Maricela Cornejo.
So, in order to dispel the confusion and set things straight, we're here to provide a succinct explanation of the mythical distinction known as the lineal championship, Dictionary definitions of "lineal," per Merriam-Webster, include "composed of or being in a direct male or female line of ancestry," "relating to or derived from ancestors," "descended in a direct line," and/or "belonging to one lineage.". 4. def. Many boxing experts view the lineal championship as a prestigious status which trumps the world titles being issued by the sanctioning bodies (e.g. Then in 1983, the IBF was recognized as a major sanctioning body. Choi Hong-man at Yarennoka! Rich Clementi at UFC 90 on Oct 25, 2008 Championship Record Has defeated 17 opponents (10 by KO) in world title fights (secondary belts excluded). Cerdan ( right ) stopped Tony Zale for the title at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, N.J., but lost it to Jake LaMotta less than nine months later. Andreas Spang at Bellator 69 on May 18, 2012, 1. def. Alvarez, who won both of his 2015 bouts, opened his campaign on May 9 against power brawler James Kirkland at Minute Maid Park in Houston, where a raucous crowd of 31,588 watched as they engaged in a thrilling shootout, one Alvarez won by monstrous third-round knockout in a terrific performance. 3 ranked contenders to box-offs between any contenders ranked between No. The Lineal Boxing World Champions: Here we list every champion of the Queensberry era, 1885 to date. [41] Currently LBC recognizes nine lineal champions in women's boxing: Franchon Crews Dezurn (super middleweight), Claressa Shields (middleweight and junior middleweight), Jessica McCaskill (welterweight), Chantelle Cameron (junior welterweight), Katie Taylor (lightweight), Marlen Esparza (flyweight) and Jessica Nery Plata (junior flyweight). This article tracks the lineage of the original UFC championships. He has all four of the 'alphabet' world titles, as well as The Ring magazine's distinction of being the 'lineal' champion in the division (which, wherever it can, follows the ethos of "to be the champion you must beat the champion"). And instead of facing the clear top middleweight contender in the world, WBA champion Gennady Golovkin, Cotto chose instead to face Geale, a former middleweight belt holder Golovkin knocked out last year in just three rounds. The original sequence was from its first publication in the 1920s until its hiatus in 1989, continuing as late as 1992 in some divisions. Boxing pound-for-pound rankings: Did Gervonta Davis make the top 10? The full history is below. 2. def. Gary Goodridge at Pride Total Elimination 2003 on Aug 10, 2003 Moreover, The Rings rankings system and championships policy is more concise and easier to understand. Ryan Garcia is fighting again, this time on social media against his own promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, Sources: Navarrete to defend title against Valdez, Boxer G. Davis to serve rest of sentence in jail, Tszyu still good for title fight despite dog bite, Wood routs Lara to regain title; Catterall cruises, Lopez floors Conlan, retains featherweight title, Source: Estrada fight moves for Crawford-Spence, Sources: Fury, Joshua camps discuss Sept. bout, Ranking the 12 notable boxing title fights in June, Gervonta Davis' arrest history: Timeline of abuse and hit-and-run charges and denials, Divisional rankings: Luis Alberto Lopez and Leigh Wood take over 126-pound division. [10], The boxing magazine The Ring has its own lineal championship. [11] CBZ commented in 2004, "The Ring has forfeited its credibility by pulling names out of its ass to name fighters as champions". The lineage didnt revert to Bisping after he lost to StPierre. Matt Lindland at UFC 37 on May 10, 2002 2. def. Robinson regained the middleweight title a fourth time with a devastating left hook that many boxing observers have called "the perfect punch." 19. def. Yes, he will likely remain so until someone defeats him in the ring, or he decides to retire. That doesnt appear to be happening anytime soon. George Groves Vs Callum Smith: Not for the Lineal Championship. According to ESPN.coms Dan Rafael, Cotto stalled talks long enough earlier this year to make fellow megastar Saul "Canelo" Alvarez seek other options. 13. def. Inception of the championship occured on 5/18/1989, the first fight in the division. 5.
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