Lineal HW champion.

Nobody has any claim to the lineal title because it was lost with Fury's retirement and a new lineage needs to be started. Joshua is #1 contender for being the only other active fighter to beat the former "man" in Wlad. I can't see any of Ortiz, Povetkin, Wilder or Parker (contenders #2 - 5) fighting each other any time soon so it might be hard to crown a lineal champion as we can't say for certain which of those four fighters is definitely the #2. I personally reckon Ortiz is so if Joshua beats him next year he'd have a pretty solid claim to the throne. The Ring mag says a new lineal champion can be crowned by the #1 contender fighting anybody from #2 - 5 as long as the opponent is deemed a worthy adversary though so who knows what could happen.

 

As has been said and I agree; Joshua must be the number one contender for it

 

Joshua is number one, Boxrec, Ring Magazine, boxing news 24. Joshua is real champion, everyone else is just a contender.

 

Lineal shmineal, who cares, and rankings are just as meaningless. But Joshua is obviously THE MAN of heavyweight boxing.

 

Joshua obviously, nobody on his level left now.

 

So-called hardcore fans invest too much stock in the lineage. Joshua is undoubtedly the man to beat regardless.

 

Fury is still the lineal champ until it's clear he's gone permanently.

That won't happen because he'll be back.

If he were genuinely gone (which he isn't), filling the lineal vacancy would require a fight between the two fighters with the best claim to it at the time it becomes vacant. Right now that's Joshua and Wilder.

People need to get a grip & stop serving stuff up to Joshua on a plate. Let's see him earn things in the ring.

It shouldn't be like the London Olympics where he gets beat in the first round & still gets to take home the gold.

 

AJ knocked out the greatest heavyweight of the past decade in his last bout. What else does he have to do to be considered the premier fighter in the division? If Fury does return, which is doubtful to say the least, he'll never recover the form he displayed that night in Dusseldorf two years ago. Joshua is the man. All else is academic at this point.

 

The thread is about who holds the lineal championship which you've already dismissed as irrelevant.

If it's irrelevant in your eyes, move on.

For those who consider it relevant, Joshua needs to fight & beat Fury in order to attain it (or whoever is next best at the time it genuinely becomes vacant).

Sorry, but he didn't attain it by beating a 41 year old coming in off a long layoff and a loss in his last start.

You can't just be "gifted" the lineal championship. That's why, to some, it actually means something.

 

I don't consider the lineal championship wholly irrelevant. Where there's ambiguity concerning who's #1, I'll refer back to the idea of 'the man who beat the man'. Right now, I think it's abundantly clear that Joshua sits at the top of the tree. Dance on the head of a pin all you want, but the lineage bears no relevance to the current state of the heavyweight division.

 

Lineage is relevant to the current state of the heavyweight division.

I think we can both agree that Joshua isn't the linear champ and won't be any time soon.

 

No, he's not the lineal champ but I think he's earned the right to be regarded as far and above the best in the division. We'll agree to disagree.

 

I'll give Tyson Furey another 9moths and if he ain't coming back by then I won't be thinking he's the lineal champ

 

We've agreed to agree from what I can see.