A pyramid style way of describing fighters

One of the best things about boxing is the terminology seems to have a life of its own. Famous quotes spoken decades ago still used today. “ He can run, but he can’t hide. “

“The bigger they are, the harder they fall. “While the colorful one liners are numerous it seems that boxing writers themselves have lost the ability to describe a fighters’ skill level. In the marital arts world we can get an idea of the participant’s skill and experience level by looking at the color of his belt. In the boxing world we have too many belts the way it is! Instead the writer must rely on traditional terminology, and therein lays the problem. The terminology has lost its true meaning as the decades have passed. In a sport that fancies itself as the survival of the fittest, fans who have never seen a fighter are often mislead by his true abilities.

Enclosed is some terminology that boxing writers should be familiar with in a pyramid style format with the very top being the elite, and the very bottom being the victims.


Undefeated / Undisputed Lineal Champion. It’s lineal, not linear! An undefeated / undisputed lineal champion is the lone world champion who has defeated all other champions. His lineage can be traced back generations. Such a fighter is all but extinct in modern boxing do to various political factions. Any fighter who ascends to this unlikely rank deserves the highest amount of respect.

Veteran Lineal Champion. A veteran lineal champion is a fighter who has won the lineal title that can be traced back to true previous champions. He has defended his belt many times, and is unquestionably the “man “or the peoples champion in his weight division. If the lineal title is or was vacant, I use Ring Magazine's system.

Veteran Undefeated World Champion. A champion who has won one of the four major alphabet belts ( WBA, WBC, IBF, or WBO ), with several successful title defenses. This fighter could be better than a veteran lineal champion, even if he lacks the official title. Some weight divisions have no lineal champion. It is vacant and can only be re-established with a title unification fight.

Veteran World Champion. A champion who has won one of the four major alphabet belts ( WBA, WBC, IBF, or WBO ), with several successful title defenses. This fighter has a loss on his record.

World Champion – A fighter who recently won one the four alphabet belts. Boxing has 68 world champion belts in 17 different weight classes. The value of a world champion has eroded due to too many boxing organizations. Most world champions don't hold their belts for long.

Top Ten Contender. A top ten contender is not an alphabet contender top ten contender! If this were the case, boxing would have as many as 20-25 top 10 ranked contenders! A top ten contender is a fighter that is independently ranked by at least two of the three organizations. Ring Magazine, Fight News and Box Rec.

Fringe Contender. A fringe contender can be many things. He can be a fighter who was once a top ten contender, but has fallen off due to age. He could be an up and coming fighter ranked in the top 15-30 ranked by the three major independent ratings systems. Or he can be a fighter who has beaten a top 30 talent once or twice at one point in his career, but often losses to other top ten opponents or up and coming fringe contenders. In a perfect world fringe contenders to not get mandatory world title shots.

Top Prospect. A talented young fighter who is no longer a novice. Many believe the fighter in question will advance to the fringe contender level or beyond. This is one of the more interesting developmental stages of a fighter’s career. Some crash and burn. Others ascend to greater acclaim and larger purses.

One hit wonder. This fighter takes while to classify. He was never a champion. He's really just a good journeyman. He lost a few times, but has one or two upset wins on his resume that hard core fans remember.


Protected fighter. A protected fighter is an undefeated or one loss fighter who has many fights and is being moved at a very slow pace. The protected fighter has been carefully managed and matched. He has not fought anyone above the Veteran Journeyman level. In fact most of his fights are still at the trial horse level. When a protected fighter steps up, he is often beaten by the better veteran journeyman’s, or in some cased by journeyman or trial horses! Every once in a while a protected fighter turns out to be the real deal, but for the most part the odds of a protected fighter making it to the top ten level are long.

Veteran Journeyman. A journeyman original meaning was a person who past his apprenticeship and became competent at his craft. Today, the term is often mis used. A Veteran Journeyman by definition should have a .500 or better record and at least 20 fights under his belt, some of which took place vs. higher rated fighters. A Veteran Journeyman should be able to go a few rounds, test, and occasional defeat higher raked fighters. There is a shortage of veteran journeyman in modern boxing.

Novice. A novice is a fighter who recently has turned pro. He could be a highly touted amateur prospect, an athlete in another sport giving boxing a try, or a compete unknown. After 10 fights or so, the novice moves into a different rank depending on his record and competition level.

Journeyman. Being a journeyman is not necessarily a bad thing. These fighters are the middle class of boxing that help define who the better fighter are, and are not. Your average journeyman has not fought above the Veteran journeyman level. They are often local club fighters.

Trial Horse. A trial horse is a fighter who uses boxing to supplement his income. He has a losing record in almost all cases and has little chance to beat most of the fighters he is matched with. A trial horse is often a failed novice. The role of a trial horse is to give younger fighters a chance at some easy ring experience. Sometimes a top-level fighter could sink to the depths of a trial horse. Such a fighter is often a sad reflection on boxing.

Bum. I never like this terminology. Any man who steps into the ring has more guts than the average guy. A “ bum “ is a fighter with bad record. They are seldom in the proper frame of mind. They are seldom in shape. A “ bum “ often gets blown away early and put up little resistance once things don’t go their way.

A Tomato can. A tomato can is the lowest of the low. They are the 1-13 or 3-26 fighters of boxing. Sometimes these fighter simply collapse when they are hit. Hence the term he fell on the floor like a dented tomato can.

 

It depends. As long as the guy is in there with some effort, he is not a bum or tomato can.