Is linear becoming obsolete?

The Lineal title at 154-lb did stop with Winky Wright in 2005, and there was not another lineage started for 8 years, probably because there wasn't a #1 vs #2 matchup to justify a new lineage starting. That all changed in 2013 however with Floyd Mayweather vs Canelo Alvarez. Since it was #1 vs #2 and 154-lb, the winner was to start a new lineage. However the 152 catchweight really messed this up because as I said at the time, for a matchup that big between the #1 vs #2 guys in a division, to start a new lineage, it should have been at the Full limit of 154-lb so there were no shortcuts to starting a new Lineage in a division, so there would be no controversey. Floyd got the decision and was recognized as Lineal Champion at 154-lb until his retirement in 2015. Now for all of you who are so hellbent on Canelo not deserving to be Lineal Champion at Middleweight, keep in mind that Floyd Mayweather didn't fight in the LMW division for over 2 years after fighting Canelo at 152 and still was known as Lineal Champion all that time until his retirement.

That was why I was so against the Floyd vs Canelo catchweight, because when you have a fight that will start a new lineage, you want it to be done right, at the full limit. Since Floyd retired, there hasn't been a Lineal Champion at 154-lb, not until we have a bout between the #1 and #2 LMW in the world presumably. But no, the Lineal Championship is not becoming obsolute. It's alive and well in most divisions besides Light Middleweight. For the divisions where it's vacant, it's because there probably hasn't been a fight big enough (#1 vs #2) to justify starting a new lineage.

 

Floyd didn't fight Canelo at a catchweight. Floyd said he likes his opponents to be comfortable and at their best weight.

 

Wasnt Canelo vs Trout also #1 vs #2

I could've sworn Canelo walked out with three belts

 

Real boxing fans will always have respect for the lineal title

And if Floyd left the light middleweight division then he forfeited the lineal title of that division

 

It's been obsolete at various points in history.

Gus Lesnevich's farcial Light Heavyweight reign....where he ducked Hall of Famers like Ezzard Charles, Joey Maxim, and Archie Moore.

And most famously Foreman's bizarro reign, where he fought cans off the radar while Holyfield unified against Tyson and Moorer in high profile bouts.

 

The lineal title is also known as THE RING Title belt. First awarded by Nat Fleischer who started & owned The Ring The Bible of Boxing. Obviously today The Ring had lost all credibility since being bought by Oscar & GBP. Sadly the linear title has suffered same fate

 

Lineage isn't awarded it's a concept. It just means you can't lose the belt unless it's in the ring.

 

Lineage is the ideal world.

It should have more media prestige, that would sort the sport right out.

 

Or in Pollo's case refuse to defend it worthless as it is

 

Who's Pollo?

 

It's "lineal" not "linear." You must come from a long line of idiots.

 

That would be if the lineage is never broken over time. In reality it gets broken a couple of times and then it's up to the imagination of a couple of people when and where a new lineage begins.
There's where everything gets very fishy because sometimes publications disagree when a where a new lineage starts, who the new lineal champion is, or if it even starts at all. And then we have the whole comback issue to deal with as well.
All in all lineage is as pure as the pond in front of my house.

Also lineal champions are weak in many cases due to the way the system (yep, it's a system... not as simple as the man who beat the man as some keep insisting) works.
And even that "the man wh beat..." thing can leave a very bad taste, because of the "the man that got the chance to beat the man" issue. Often that isn't the best fighter out there by a mile, and they know that themselves, so they exploit something that was supposed to be the purest form of a championship.
Remember heavyweight over the last five decades. We even had undisputed champions in there who weren't lineal, and that's where the weakness of linealship really reared his ugly head. Nobody but boxing purists (and even they had problems not to gag) had Briggs as the champion at one time, and who besides them had Spinks as the number 1 over undisputed Tyson?!

 

It's a concept. That's all it is.

Right now it's something that gets no prestige which is why only boxing purists give a ****.

If everyone considered those men to be the only champions of the division, other fighters would actively seek the fights out if they wanted the championship themselves.

It's the way our sport should be, just not the way it is right now.

 

Trout vs. Canelo was #1 vs. #2.