Should Wladimir Klitschko Be Awarded The Ring Belt By Default?

[codeman99998]

Originally Posted by thesandman

Codeman, I agree with the sentiment, but you can't put a policy in place for ANYTHING, and then just break it, well, because you want to.

I don't think giving Waldo the Ring belt will entice anyone to fight him. If a fighter has his abc belt, and the reason he doesn't want to fight Wald is because he (or his manager) thinks he will lose - that won't change a damn bit if the ring belt is involved.

If a fighter can make 3 easy ABC defences - then a shot at the Ring belt has to be worth more money than he can make in those 3 fights. I don't see the Ring belt attracting that kind of financial interest, it's something only pretty interested boxing fans know about.

That might be right.

I really, I just want unification in any way possible. If a Ring belt had to go to the winner of Peter-Maskaev to get Wlad or Chagaev or Sultan to fight that guy, I'd be for it. If it had to go to ANYONE, if it would get the 4 beltholders to fight, I'd be for it.

Frankly, I'm embarassed that they can't do what Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson did, it's an embarassment to the sport. When Wlad had his mandatory, he should have simply gotten stripped and fought another champion anyways. The boxing fans and boxing media can see through being stripped for not fighting Ray Austin and fighting another champion.

Tarver knew that fighting the #1 challenger was more important than fighting his mandatory, and props to him for that. It's a shame the HW titleholders can hide behind "mandatory" fights.

[DamonD]

**** no.

Let him win it in the ring...he's just one potential fight away from doing that anyway, so why the rush?

[rushman]

Wlad has not earned the Ring belt, by the Ring's own rules.

I dont always agree with how the Ring belt works - it is far too easy for the current champ to hold the belt hostage. But no one is holding the HW belt hostage!

Wlad is the current best, Ring belt or no. Plenty of fighers have belts - only one is the best.

[WiDDoW_MaKeR]

The ring belt isn't anything more than what Wlad already has anyways. It is just a magazine. Wlad is the people's champion, and everyone from the fans, to all of the other fighters out there acknowledge that Wladimir is the real Champion in the heavyweight division. He doesn't have to wait for the #2 or #3 ranked guy in ring mag to agree to fight him for us to know that. Especially since he already beat the #2.

[cross_trainer]

Originally Posted by kg0208

Deal with this....show me the rule that says you can RETIRE for years and come back and simply reclaim it?

Technically, yeah. The lineal title remains with the retired title holder. Hence the confusion over who the "real champion" was when Jeffries came out of retirement to meet Johnson.

[cross_trainer]

Originally Posted by WiDDoW_MaKeR

The ring belt isn't anything more than what Wlad already has anyways. It is just a magazine. Wlad is the people's champion, and everyone from the fans, to all of the other fighters out there acknowledge that Wladimir is the real Champion in the heavyweight division. He doesn't have to wait for the #2 or #3 ranked guy in ring mag to agree to fight him for us to know that. Especially since he already beat the #2.

I don't give credence to "people's champion"...Ali tried this title when he lost to Frazier, but it didn't help him much. If Wlad wants to be champion, he should unify at least one of the other belts. For that matter, if he could even grab the two traditional ones (WBC, WBA) he would be lineal.

[Irish Steel]

Originally Posted by Kings Randsom

The reason Wlad does not already have the ring belt, is due to the fact he is white and from europe rather than the fact that he has not beaten quality opposition. If Wlad was an Amercian and black and he had beaten the same people he would have the ring belt right now. Everyone knows that this is true.

[EpsilonAxis]

Well, rules need to be in place, so i dont think so.

But no one in their right mind questions that Klitschko is the #1 HW out there today right now. He has a resume far better than everyone else in the division that goes back 7+ years against good fighters.

[kg0208]

Originally Posted by cross_trainer

Technically, yeah. The lineal title remains with the retired title holder. Hence the confusion over who the "real champion" was when Jeffries came out of retirement to meet Johnson.

I was referring to the Ring title. Not the Lineal title, which Vitali never held.

[EpsilonAxis]

Originally Posted by cross_trainer

I don't give credence to "people's champion"...Ali tried this title when he lost to Frazier, but it didn't help him much. If Wlad wants to be champion, he should unify at least one of the other belts. For that matter, if he could even grab the two traditional ones (WBC, WBA) he would be lineal.

I normally see some validity in this, but definitely not in the current landscape. None of the other champs seem to be able to even hold their titles for any meaningful amount of time or defenses. Wlad on the other hand has been beating many of the best out there, and typically in dominant fashion.

So until either Chagaev, Maskaev or the Sultan/Holyfield winner shows something, Wlad has got to be considered at the very least #1, and possibly be considered THE champ if need be.

None of the other guys are even close at this point, although I do think Chagaev could pull the upset potentially.

[PH|LLA]

no

[psychopath]

Should Wladimir Klitschko Be Awarded The Ring Belt By Default?

Nah, definitely not. It will just raised questions and controversy. He has to earn it by fighting unification fights.

[cross_trainer]

Originally Posted by EpsilonAxis

I normally see some validity in this, but definitely not in the current landscape. None of the other champs seem to be able to even hold their titles for any meaningful amount of time or defenses. Wlad on the other hand has been beating many of the best out there, and typically in dominant fashion.

So until either Chagaev, Maskaev or the Sultan/Holyfield winner shows something, Wlad has got to be considered at the very least #1, and possibly be considered THE champ if need be.

None of the other guys are even close at this point, although I do think Chagaev could pull the upset potentially.

He should definitely be considered #1. Just not "champion" yet. Lewis, Tyson, Holyfield, and Bowe were able to become undisputed champions in the last seventeen years, despite multiple belts and incompetent beltholders...Klitschko surely will have the same opportunity if he pushes for it.