If Wlad linear champion now?

He has to unify all three belts.

 

Nobody who has a brain considers Valuev a champion. You don't let corrupt organiztions dictate lineage or status. Wlad's destruction of Chagaev made Valuev a non-factor.

Wlad is the WBA, IBF, WBO, Ring Champ
Vitali is the WBC Champ.

IMO, Wlad is the universally regarded champ right now. Once Vitali retires or if Vitali loses and Wlad beats that person, Wlad attains linear and undisputed status since there is zero doubt about who is the best. I'm not too concerned about the textbook definition of "linear" or "undipsuted" either. Once it's clear you're the best, that's all that matters imo. It's not the same as the old days when 1 or 2 belts existed and the organizations weren't gangsters.

Morever, Wlad destroyed Byrd (IBF) to get his first belt...dominated two reigning, undefeated beltholders in Sultan (WBO), Chagaev (WBA), not to mention an undefeated Peter, who went on to win the WBC title. Not much more he can do really to prove it.

Dominant wins over Povetkin and Chambers, who are the 2 best remaining contenders left, will only further his claim.

 

Lewis is not the linear, he's RETIRED....

If thats the case the lineage broke years ago.

 

I understand that...I'm simply posing the question does this even matter any longer? What is more important...universal recognition or the fact that you beat the "linear" champ? It is not always the same thing.

Who considered Joel Casamayor to be the universally recognized champ at 135 before his loss to JMM even though El Cepillo beat the former linear champ and held the ring title?

Also, did most consider PBF to be the best fighter at 147 after beating the linear champ in Carlos Baldimir? PBF fans aside, there were a lot of questions about this...again, what is more important? That is the real question.

 

Wlad has to capture the WBC belt.

 

good argument :good:good

 

No, he has to unify all the titles to do that, but he's the closest we're going to get as he's The Ring Magazine HW champ.

 

I agree that the WBA belt is now irrelevant. They are a joke and can be discounted from considerations of lineage or being undisputed.

The WBC is not irrelevant though. Wlad cannot establish a new lineage without that strap.

However worrying about lineage is nothing short of the most useless trivia. Wlad is the #1 whatever way you look at it.

 

No.

He has to fight Vitali.

If he does not want to then he can't be regarded as the best.

That is the downside of The Klitschko Dream.

 

Even befor that

When Tunney Retired it ended as he never came out of retirment after Vacateing the title

 

Don King will never allow Valouev to fight Vitali or Vlad.

 

yes he is

 

Yes he is.

With the WBA lineage belonging to a man that Chagaev beat, and the WBC lineage being won by his brother from a man Wlad already beat, he has done exactly this. There are no other credible claims to world championships status. Not even Vitaly.

The titles are meaningless. Anyone can start a sanctioning body.

 

Whatever Rushman says is inhernetly incorrect by definition.

Since he has taken both sides of this issue, there is no answer, and it is a conundrum on the same scale as a tree falling in the wilderness, or the sound of one hand clapping.