Jorge Arce vs. Angky Angkotta

A great fighter wins a world title belt, but it's only an "interim" world title belt. OK fine, whatever. By definition not as legitimate as...well, an actual non-interim world title bout. It's won from a good opponent, though - and defended several times against good opponents.

On the other hand, a mediocre fighter wins an actual "legitimate" world title bout (not an interim). He gets it from someone who's a sitting duck, really not a very creditable triumph at all but for the technicality that it awarded them the title. No significant defenses against anyone who's currently relevant at the time.

The former is not a valid champion for the purposes of tabulation, but the latter is?

Cornelius Bundrage is more legitimate as a light middleweight champion than Jorge Arce was as a flyweight champion?

**** that. I'm sorry. That's craziness.

 

Did you guys... see that? :yep Powell never quite "showed up" that night. He was there in the flesh, physically...but that's about it.

Also, the title win over Spinks...come on. Seriously. Come on. Spinks had a good name once. Beating that version of him meant nothing.

James Toney has a pretty good name built up for himself over his career, too. Guess what, though? Lebedev doesn't get a shred of credit from me for beating that version of him (and I like Lebedev).

 

Right??

So his world title of disputed provenance had an "interim" tag on it.

It was still a world title.

What's the point of it being called an interim WORLD TITLE if it doesn't count as a WORLD TITLE.

How is it less valid than a vacant WORLD TITLE?

They're all just meaningless abstractions, yes?

Everybody's so dismissive nowadays of pretty much all the belts, what with too many sanctioning bodies...to say nothing of all the Silver/super/regular nonsense.

If a good fighter beats another good fighter for something called a world title, let that count on that fighter's tally as a valid world title in that division. I mean...why not? It's not like saying "Oh, just call Helenius a world titlist already! He beat Liakhovich for the intercontinental title, but it was a good win...c'MON!!! :hey".

No, we're talking about someone who won something that was called a WORLD TITLE. Yes, an interim world title. Still a WORLD TITLE nonetheless.

 

I do agree with Brick that this latest BW title is a bit sketchy, although hey - if Angkotta got himself ranked by the WBO based on a single win over Catubay, that's on them... :conf

The interim WBC flyweight reign, however - that's legit. I recognize it as such, anyway.