I will recognise the winner of Klitschko Chagaev as the lineal champion

I would.

The winner, and I suppose it going to be Wlad will be the new champion since the time of Lewis.

For a while I thought VK earn it, but than he retire for 4 years. Just as the same as when Jeff retire and came back. It didnt make Jeff champ when he return. Jack Johnson was champ and on July 4th 1910, it was just other title defense for Jack Johnson.

As for Corbett, not sure what to think on that, he said he retire, than he said he didnt retire, the problem with these champs from Corbett to Dempsey is they can take 5 plus years off and still be champ. And not relly be retire.

I mean by all rights Dempsey would have been strip for the break he took.

 

1. At the time of segregation they were never going to let a blk man compete for the title so had to find the better white fighters, this was a joke title fight, Jack Johnson proved to be a real champ though beating the recognised, past linear and being a dominant 'coloured champ'

2. Yes to a degree, he was linear though, similar to Vitali/Mayweather recognised as the no1 on their return based on past form.

3. It was different to this case as it was an actual tournament of the divisions top fighters. Plus Sharkley had beaten Godfrey, Godfrey had also lost a few times the year before. Yes he should have been involved in it

4. Who says I dont attack past shenanigans?

WHO'S TO SAY THE FIGHT BETWEEN HAYE-VITALI IN SEPTEMBER ISN'T THE REAL FIGHT BETWEEN NO1 AND NO2? :hey

 

But I belive once you retire, you loose the status as champion, and when you comeback, you ant the champ no more.

Look at Suger Ray Robinson and the middleweight title line.

Robinson retire AS champ. He gave the crown up, when he return a year later was it?? or was that 2? He was no longer the champ. And when Ralf Tiger Jones beat a come backing Robinson, that didnt take the title away from Olson and proclaim Tiger champ. Did it?

 

I think a meeting between the Klitschko brothers would be the only means by which we could attain real near-universal recognition of a linear champion; the fact that they refuse to face each other really gums up the workings of the division. That said, we really do need to get a genuine title lineage going again, and in lieu of a fight between the brothers (which won't happen), this is the best determinant we can get.

 

Until we get a Wlad/Vitali fight you will never get THE Heavyweight Champion of the World at the moment.

So either both should retire or one should and then maybe we might then get somewhere in trying to find a successor to Lennox.

Because it did not happen last night when Wlad beat Chagaev. To suggest otherwise is to cheapen a title that already with clowns like Carnera and Briggs holding the title, is barely, if at all, above alphabet crap.