Current Lineal Champs

Cyber Boxing Zone has a list.

I agree with some but not all. Again, let me reiterate that Campbell is the MAN at 135. But much like Baldomir being champ until Floyd re-established the lineage at 147, Campbell needs to beat Casa in a rematch in my opinion. I also think that Ring Magazine is right in awarding Hugo Cazares for winning the belt at 108, which was later lost to Ivan Calderon. I also think Ring is right in awarding Israel Vazquez at 122. Furthermore, with all the belts, I think Pacquiao has an argument for lineage at 130 because:

1) Morales beat Carlos Hernandez for the IBF and Jesus Chavez for the WBC at 130.
2) He vacated the IBF to fight Barrera.
3) Barrera defeated Peden to re-unify WBC and IBF.
4) Barrera vacated the IBF just like Morales did before him.
5) Marquez beat Barrera to be WBC (and de facto IBF) champ.
6) Pacquiao beat Marquez, and both were #1 and #2 by a long margin.

This is my list. If yours is different, I understand perfectly.

HEAVY:
CRUISER: Haye (1 defense)
LIGHT HEAVY: Erdei (9 defenses)*...People's Champ: Hopkins (1 defense)
SUPER MIDDLE: Calzaghe (0 defenses)
MIDDLE: Pavlik (0 defenses)
JR. MIDDLE/SUPER WELTER:
WELTER: Mayweather (1 defense)
JR. WELTER/SUPER LIGHT: Hatton (3 defenses)
LIGHT: Casamayor (2 defenses)...People's Champ: Campbell (0 defenses)
JR. LIGHT/SUPER FEATHER: Pacquiao (0 defenses)
FEATHER:
JR. FEATHER/SUPER BANTAM: Vazquez (1 defense)
BANTAM:
JR. BANTAM/SUPER FLY:
FLY: Naito (2 defenses)
JR. FLY: Calderon (1 defense)
MINIMUM/STRAW:


*I hate it just as much as you do, but since Michalczewski was champ, who lost it to Julio Gonzalez, who lost to Erdei, the LINEAGE comes from him, as undeserving as he is. Hopkins has a claim to the world title, but he not technically LINEAL champ. And I'm an American. And I'm a Hopkins fan.

I wish RJJ had taken the proposed fight with Erdei for lesser money after losing to Tarver twice, because then he would have won an easy belt, and the money/logic would play out that he would have taken it back to America where he would have unified it with the real champ for one last big payday/legacy boost. But instead he chose to fight Ajamu in Idaho or whereever it was for the same amount and a tiny purse. Since that happened, this is where we are at regarding the LINEAL title at 175.

 

What's your reasoning Mike?

 

Against who?

Calzaghe was true lineal champ in my eyes when he beat Kessler (adding WBC, WBA, and Ring to his IBF & WBO). He hasn't fought since.

About Mayweather, you are correct. I just fixed it. Thanks.

 

So when Tarver beat Jones, did he have claim? Not to linear, but to any world title?

 

Hopkins is not linear champ. I think he's the #1 light heavy and Ring recognizes him as champ, but he is not linear champ. There used to be a member of this board (Shotgun) who could explain everything in detail. The short story is:

Virgil Hill was linear champ. Dariusz Michalczewski beat him first, so lineage goes through him. DM held the WBO belt now. Then, he lost it to Julio Gonzalez. Gonzalez lost it to Erdei. Erdei is linear champ.

While all of this was going on, Roy Jones unified all three alphabets at the time (WBC, WBA, IBF). Unfortunately, he beat Hill after Michalczewski did, so he doesn't have claim to the lineage. This is still the only instance that I can remember that someone became "undisputed" with all three belts, but the lineage was truly disputed because the guy who beat the guy didn't hold one of the aforementioned three belts.

 

The only other time is when Pacquiao held the true linear featherweight title after beating Barrera, but Marquez held two belts (WBA & IBF) when they fought. The difference though is that JMM was unified, not undisputed.

Confused yet???