There is a lot of truth in your post and you explained the context of the division real well. However the notion "undisputed" was born over time and always meant the guy who unified all the major belts.(IBF-WBA-WBC). This not an opinion of mine but an ancient concept. I strictly apply the definition here and I do not want to discredit Haye by any means. Certainly, Haye was the true and linear champ, the number one guy, RING champion. Back to your questions if LL and Bell were less of an "undisputed" champ when they vacated their belts. The answer to those questions is clearly yes. In order to remain undisputed you have to fight your mandatories because if a guy captures a major ABC title he has a right to "dispute". That is where linear championship comes into play when you do not lose your title inside the ring. LL and Bell remained linear and the number one guys but weren't undisputed anymore. The notion "undisputed" is solely linked to the major ABC titles, This may sound a little strange but keep in mind that a champion could duck his mandatory (like Bowe did with LL). How can he remain undisputed then?
So you think Steve Cunningham with his IBF belt had a claim to being the real cruiserweight champion? Baring in mind that Haye was the WBC, WBA, WBO, Ring & Lineal champion?
Since when has undisputed ment all the belts? Are you all ****ing stupid. Undisputed means nobody else has a claim to your status as the division's number one. So if you are the lineal champion but only have 1 belt like Tomasz Adamek, if say Guillermo Jones took the WBC and WBO belts he could dispute that claim. If Haye had only the WBC and WBA and Cunningham took the WBO, he'd have 2 belts aswell and therefore could dispute Haye's claim. But Haye had 3 belts, the MAJORITY. There's no way Cunningham could of matched the number of belts Haye had, therefore he couldn't dispute Haye's status at the division's #1, because you can't possibly say Cunningham's IBF belt alone held more value than Haye's WBC/WBA/WBO/Ring/Lineal titles.
always. undisputed has always meant holding the main belts...just like the blade has explained over and over. .
From what i know WBC WBA AND IBF were the major belts at CW, Holy and both Bell were claimed Undisputed champs, but Haye won WBC, WBA, WBO, so idk it all depends.........
Since when do you follow boxing?Obviouly not very long because that notion is well known to our long time followers of the sport. Read the ENTIRE thread first before posting because you are obviously completely incompetent. Cunningham had a right to dispute Haye being "undisputed* champ because he himself held one ABC title. The other 2 (or three if you like ) were held by Haye. Haye was the "WBC,WBA,WBO" champion. Cunningham the "IBF" champ. Do you see an "undisputed" champ there? This has nothing to do with being the number one guy, Ring or linear champ. But I bet you won't understand anyway...
THE BLADE, are you still trying to explain a simple concept to these thickheaded ESB'ers? Forget it. If by page 23, they still don't get it, they never will.
I guess you are right, it really shows to which degree this Forum has deterioated. It is just incompetence, really unbelievable.
you're right blade.. and, if i could add, again, joe calzaghe was never super-middle undisputed champ either...lucian bute was the 'dispute' there, as ibf belt holder.
As of Feb 2007 the term "Undisputed Champion" can only apply to someone holding all 4 recognized belts. The term can change through time depending on how many belts are universally recognized (Has done since the 60's) Seeing as this, through each organisastions different requirements,ratings and mandos, means it it will be virtually imppossible to achieve, the term "Universally recognized" has been more and more used to replace Undisputed(If you hold the majority of Belts, 3 of 4) For example as from Feb 07 (when the IBF recognized the WBO), If fighter 'A' had the WBC,WBA,IBF,Ring,Lineal belts and some other sod had the WBO, fighter 'A' couldnt call himself the "Undisputed" champ. Thats why the IBF held off 3 years from recognizing the WBO in it's ratings(And they are ****s aswell). David Haye was the universally recognized cruiserweight champ, holding 5 of the 6 highest status accolades. If an anouncer, or reporter, says Undisputed by mistake, tough. Chances are there wont be an undisputed champ in the future because of the commitments each belt demands. The term Universally recognized will be more important(It should be now) in a few years than Undisputed. Neither carry a belt, it is dressing before a fighter is annnounced, or when he is written about. What he has won is important.
Exactly. I've heard the term "universally-recognized" used quite often recently, especially by Michael Buffer.The Haye fans in this thread just can't come to grips with the fact that there is a definitive difference between being the undisputed champion and being the universally-recognized champion aka "the man" aka the #1 rated guy in the division, which are all things that described Haye. But undisputed? Haye never earned that title. If you still can't see that, then you are simply beyond help. The Haye fans in this thread need to stop throwing around their own definitions of the word "undisputed", stop spreading lies, and face reality: Haye was never undisputed.. You have to have all the major titles to be undisputed, PE-RI-****in-OD. No one ever denies that Haye was the king of the division, but he still wasn't undisputed. As long as there is another major titleholder other than yourself, you are not undisputed. Can we end this damn thread already?
Hang on, isn't that the very definition of undisputed? That no-one can dispute your supremecy within the division? No-one can dispute that Haye was the champion. Not even Steve Cunningham. Therefore, he's undisputed. Does anyone here want to make the argument that says Cunningham was the true champion, thereby disputing Haye's claim to the title? Go ahead. Put forward the argument that Cunningham was the true champion. That's what disputing something is. The fact that no-one can dispute Haye's no.1 status makes him undisputed, regardless of which belts he has or hasn't.