Is Qawi really a linear champion. Foster lost to Wassajah who lost to Spinks. I know Qawi was the recognised champion but not sure he is a linear champ.
Wassajah didnt beat Bob for his title though..Bob retired after that draw he had and Mustfa beat him in a 8 or 10 rounder when Bob was on the comeback trail..The lineage started again with MSM Im pretty sure and when Dwight beat him he became the new lineal champ.
True but Holmes isnt considered linear until Ali, Lewis likewise beating Briggs etc. Foster was only out for a year and MSM was recognised as the "linear" champ after Marvin Johnson won the WBA version in 1980? based on a retrospective win over Johnson in 1979, which was after Wassaja had beaten Foster in 78. It was a stoppage victory Mustaffa had over Bob Lineage is passed in the ring and is only given to a unified champ if previous champ does not return. This is why i dont consider Hart and Burns linear, Johnson won that title against the comebacking Jeffries
So you believe Wassaja has a claim to the lineal title? :huh Cant agree with that mate, if thats what you mean. Bob retired..he indicated at the time he didnt want to fight on..so all of his titles, official and unofficial were vacated. The Wassaja fight was a non-title fight and wasnt even at light heavy. Sometimes its just not possible for the lineage to past on like that when a fighter relinquishes his claim to it without losing. It has to begin somewhere else...interesting to note that the Bantamweight division hasnt had a linear titlist since the 80's I think.
How do we even know Wassaja-Foster was even fought at LHW anyway there's no recorded weights for that fight
Yeah there isnt..I thought it they both weighed in over the limit but boxrec doesnt have the weights at all. Must have mixed that up. There is a decent chance is wasnt though considering it was an 8 rounder and Bob hadnt been south of light heavy in his last couple of fights.
Foreman Briggs wasnt a title fight either but lineage was past on in that fight Lewis retired and lineage is still up in the air
Not comparable to the Foster-Wassaja situation at all though mate. The Briggs fights was over the title distance and it could be said they were fighting for a title, the linear one. Bob and Mustafa were fighting an 8 rounder..which probably wasnt even under the lightheavy limit...so how can that have any bearing on the lineage of the 175 division?
My issue is more MSM being considered the linear champ based on a retrospective victory over someone who would in the future win a title. I just see a more obvious lineage through Foster Wassaja Spinks especially when it happened prior to MSM Johnson. Do you consider Holmes the linear champ prior to beating Ali? Ali had retired and therefore given up all his titles, Holmes also never unified the titles, Is there an arguement that he was not a linear champion? I appreciate your point and if it was over the limit then fair enough. I have not seen any documentation that says it was and only ever seen in refered to as a LHW bout.