Will Usyk vs Joshua be for the vacant lineal belt?

The Ring says they contacted Fury to ask if he was willing to vacate following his retirement announcement

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When did Holmes become lineal champion?

Do you believe Briggs was the defending champion and Lewis the challenger when they fought each other?

 

That's not what AJ said. He said to be the best you have to beat Fury.

Every retiring champ gets called out by the next champ because they have that need to prove themselves to the world, that they would have become a champion anyways.

 

Last week Fury offered Chisora a title fight. Five days ago Fury said he was retired. On Monday Fury was posting videos of himself training with Parker. On Tuesday Fury was posting videos of himself training and saying this is how he'd beat Usyk.

Do you think Fury'sretired? Seriously? Are you Tom Gray?

What's Ring in such a hurry for? Is it because they are owned by Golden Boy, which has a deal with DAZN, which is televising Usyk-Joshua?

This would be the single dumbest move Ring has likely ever made in terms of damaging their credibility.

 

One person is really struggling here.

Fury said he's retired. The ring mag rang him personally and asked if it means he's vacating his belt, Fury confirmed.

I know someone has to finish last in every race but come on.

The funniest thing is, the person who is really struggling with this must now believe that Wilder never really defending his HW crown at all. He must believe that actually Wilder was the defence of Furys championship, and a successful one at that since Wilder didn't manage to beat Fury.

 

Well, Holmes didn't become Lineal Champion eight days after Muhammad Ali retired in 1979. And Ring and nobody else proclaimed the winner of Holmes-Shavers II the new Lineal champ.

Probably because Don King didn't own Ring Magazine, unlike the promoter who owns Ring today and who has financial stake in DAZN these days.

Holmes became Ring and Lineal Champion when he beat Ali at the end of 1980.

 

It definitely was murky, due to Ali's retirement and unretirement, the debate if due to that Holmes was actually ever the lineal champion, and if so since when exactly? Then that went over into the Spinks and Tyson story followed by the Briggs saga when a couple of vacancies, ducks and robberies took place in a short timespan. It became quiet for a couple of years when everyone saw Lewis as the champion, but then he retired and the whole issue started again.
Then after the obvious issues with two brothers being the #1 and #2 for about a decade, we got the whole Tyson Fury issue. With a strategically timed PED ban not to interfere with the Wlad fight, retirements and the debate if he still should be considered "lineal" after that.
So yes... 4+ decades of murkyness.

 

So for you, that was Ali defending his lineal crown, and Holmes was the challenger? If someone is to ask now who the heavyweight champion was in that fight, the answer is Ali?

 

Depends on the day, doesn't it?

He didn't act retired when he was offering a title shot to Chisora last week. He didn't look retired when he was posting training videos this week.

I guess Tom Gray doesn't have the internet or social media.

And fighters never change their minds.

 

Ali was the World Champion. Larry Holmes beat Ali. Larry Holmes became the world champ. That's how the lineal title passed along ,, in the ring ... trom one guy who was recognized as such to the next.

What's murky? I followed boxing then. Nobody was the slightest bit confused.

 

The ones to blame are the WBC for not requiring confirmation sooner & before the Usyk/ Joshua rematch. If they had & Fury willing vacated then the WBC could have added their belt to the rematch for undisputed

 

What do you mean TO ME? Larry Holmes became the Lineal Champ when he beat Ali.

Not before.

Check your precious Ring ratings. Larry Holmes NOT the World Champ when before he faced Ali. Larry Holmes THE world champ after beating Ali.

 

Tyson Fury has a year to defend the WBC Title. He just made his last defense in April. He doesn't even have to defend it until next April.

The fact that the WBC asked Fury to tell them something by the end of next week is actually a surprise. He's not holding anything up with the WBC.

Fury's been more active than Usyk and Joshua. Fury's fought twice since those two last met. Again, he's one of the most active heavyweights right now. And he's in the gym training currently. He's been posting videos every day this week.

Which makes the Ring's moves all the more questionable.