This one is for ALL the marbles...

Marco Antonio Barrera did fine just on himself. Nobody would of given two hoots if Ray Robinson were not alphabet crap champ. And do really see people calling Tony Sibson a World Champion if the WBA stripped Hagler in 1983?

The piece alphabet crap means nothing, it is the man that holds it that counts

 

What if he does get a shot at the IBF or WBO first and once he becomes champ, the other champs dodge him, because he is the best and they don't want to lose their titles?

 

That's fine. The champion is not always the best but the best can always choose to have a shot at the champion.

 

What if the Champion dodges the best?!!!

 

I have to agree with this post. As strong as Kessler is, he doesn't move much and basically comes straight in. I think Calzaghe is too quick and elusive and has too much stamina for Kessler.

 

That's hardly an argument, ducking has always happened in boxing and always will. You simply cannot force one fighter to fight another if he doesn't want to. I would say that at least if we require a champion to have WBA/WBC titles, "the best" can force a shot if he keeps winning which is a lot more than we can say for your Ring titles. Also remember that this argument isn't about who the best is, it's about who the champion is.

 

Charley Burley may beg to differ...

 

Sorry Mike, but I'm not buying it - what is the whole point of this whole continuity story and passing on the batton and all that if the Champ is not the best? Why should we care which of the belts any Champ holds? I don't! I don't even care if he's Champ. All I care about is who the best guy is in a division and what the ranking is after him...I call the best guy Champ and the number two guy The Number One Contender...everything else is just mouthwash...

 

The thing is, we never really know who the best is in any sport. It's very subjective. That's why boxing has world titles, football has a world cup etc. We just have to use the world titles properly.

 

This is impossible in pro-boxing! In football World Cup...you qualify from the group stages and then it's an eliminatory process until one team remains unbeaten. You cannot dodge anyone and decide that instead of playing Brazil in the final, you'll play Spain instead, cause, hey! You didn't play them in the semis anyway...

 

I know that but world titles are to indicate who the best is. If some one else thinks he is the best then he should keep winning and force a shot at a title. If the champion ducks him the title will be vacated and the best can have a crack at it. If he doesn't want to, he shouldn't claim to be the best.

You say that the best is the champion. I say what if some guy comes along with god-like boxing talents. Ten times better than Ali, SRR, RJJ etc (no, not Anthony Small) and every one ducks him" He can't get a single fight. His record is 0-0. If he were a football team he'd win every title but as he's a boxer he can't get a single fight. Would he be the champion? That's in the nature of how titles work in boxing. Fighters will be ducked whether we use the Ring title, WBA/WBC titles or even WBO/WBU titles.

 

Too right; I have been the SHBF Heavyweight Champion of the World since 1988, that is 19 years now, still undefeated...

I must be the Greatest!

 

If you keep winning the WBC and WBA may rank you and maybe one day you'll get a shot.

 

Like I stated if anyone is prepared to pay $100 Million (I made challenge in 1988; when the Dollar was worth something), as well as full Life and Health Insurance, they can have a shot at the SHBF World Heavyweight Championship; until that day I will remain champ and continue to break longevity records, for all those silly enough to count alphabet crap as a World Championship!

 

I'm not quite sure who you're arguing against here. I, in agreement with the thread starter, said that only the WBA and WBC titles matter and not the other alphabet titles (including the SHBF). Maybe you're having a dig at Calzaghe's "20 defenses" of the WBO title. Are you an advocate of the Ring title? Explain yourself.