The arguments can stop ... a new RING Heavyweight Championship Lineage Begins February 22

Joshua was rated ahead of both of them going into June last year, then he got dropped four times and stopped. And they moved up one spot while he dropped down.

He's rated #3.

And he (Joshua) will move up after the fight. The winner will be named WORLD CHAMPION and will be pulled out of his current contender spot. So Joshua will be at least #2 after the fight without fighting anyone.

Depending how the fight goes, Joshua may move back up to the #1 contender spot at the end of the month and the loser of the Fury-Wilder fight drops behind him.

Regardless, We have a #1 contender vs. a #2 contender for the World title in 11 days.

I'm sure there were fans who weren't 100 percent thrilled with Schmeling and Sharkey or Patterson and Moore fighting for the Vacant World title, but it worked out fine.

 

What?

What kind of ridiculous point are you trying to make?

Was Joe Frazier not a "pure" champion because George Foreman blew him out in two rounds? Who cares if it was a one-round fight or a two-round fight or a 15-round fight? There was a clear winner. And the title changed hands cleanly.

I could say anyone remember when Mike Tyson was booed during a boring 12-round decision with Bonecrusher Smith and booed during his boring 12-round decision against a one-handed Tony Tucker, and Mike Tyson's hair was falling out because he was so stressed out with his terrible performances and the pressure to look good in the ring, when he wasn't?

I do.

And remember when Don King put a cheesy crown on the top of Tyson's head at the Tucker postfight press conference and Mike Tyson said he was embarrassed because he didn't feel like a champion yet?

I do.

And remember while that was going on Michael Spinks made more than Tyson, Smith and Tucker to defend his World Title against Gerry Cooney, and Spinks scored a spectacular KO?

I do.

And do you know what? Who cares?

If you have to go back 33 years to complain in a thread about a new World Heavyweight Champion being crowned next weekend, you're literally "reaching" to find something to complain about.

Having a recognized World Heavyweight Champion is a good thing. Having the top two undefeated heavyweights in the world fight to restart the heavyweight Lineage is a GOOD thing.

It's been too long.

 

For all the complaints about RING, and all the arguments about when the top two contenders met, and who has lineal status and who doesn't, and how long it's been since people just threw up their hands years ago and gave up ...

Going forward, everyone can point to February 22, 2020 and say this is when the top two undefeated heavyweight contenders met and a new Lineal World Heavyweight Champion was crowned.

That was the date.

All the World Heavyweight Title fights that champion engages in going forward matter just the same as all the World Heavyweight Title fights we've read about and discussed going back 100 years.

It's good to have one recognized World Heavyweight Champion. It's good to have a recognized #1 Heavyweight contender for that champion to fight.

In 11 days, we should have one recognized World Heavyweight Champion. And, barring something unforseen, Anthony Joshua should be the recognized #1 contender.

All of these are positive things.