The best HW never to hold the lineal title.

As I said, I prefer Vitali myself, it's just circumstances that led to Wlad achieving more.

Vitali ranks much higher imo but I'm in the minority.

 

As with every other post you've made, you haven't proven anything. You've merely offered your ****ely justified opinion.

 

I'm gonna go with the following

Holmes
Vitali
Norton.

 

If we're to use the 1v2 rule since the proliferation of belts, then yeah it is disputed.

He never beat the number 2 fighter. He did beat a retired Ali and that is where his claim stems from.

Lineage, I've discovered, isn't a consensus thing any more. Dubblechin classed Vitali as lineal champ. You class Holmes as lineal champ. Hell when Pacquiao faced Bradley for the third time the lineal aspect was barely mentioned at all.

A strict 1v2 is fair and inarguable but it isn't always in line with reality.

I've seen lineage traced by the Ring, CBZ, linealchamps.com, Wikipedia and certain historians. There's differences amongst all of these sources and who's to say which one is right?

I go with the version mentioned on this thread for the sake of consistency and transparency but it doesn't necessarily mean it's right. That's kinda the point though, there is no right or wrong here just a whole lot of confusion.

Hopefully linearity gets popular again and people agree which trace to use. Until then there's gonna be debate either way imo.

I could put a thread in the general asking if Pacquiao v Vargas is a defence of the lineal title and there'd be lots of different answers given to me because of the confusion out there.

Holmes was number 1 for a very long time and was considered champ by Ring and CBZ because of the Ali victory. I ask if that fight is worthy of filling a vacant belt? I don't know the answer myself so I bow to a greater authority than myself.

 

It only became necessary in 63 when the belts split. That's the argument behind 1v2 anyways.

I've dug up an old thread, wonder if it gets a debate going or not?

As I said to DC on this thread though, I am using the strict 1v2 rule for this thread which means Holmes is allowed for this debate :good

 

Those tracing 1v2 do so since 1963. Before then they regard the generally recognised champion as such, even if it wasn't a 1v2 situation (such as Robinson)

 

Injuries.

 

But if Vitali doesn't get injured, Wlad spends his whole career in his shadow.