Wlad is Ring Magazine Champion. Is he Lineal Champion too?

I'd say he's about as close to it as we're going to get anytime soon. His brother is holding a fragment who's previous holder was beaten by Wlad, and frankly missing a single strap does not automatically exclude a man from lineal status, as was the case with men like Larry Holmes.

Yes, I'd say at this point we have to call him " the champ. "

 

He's not linear, but he is the champ. You don't tend to get linear champs if a champion retires. Zsolt Erdei is the linear light heavyweight champion because of the fact that he beat:-

Julio Cesar Gonzalez beat.
Dariusz Michalczewski who had 14 successful defences after defeating.
Virgil Hill.

To me Wlad has lost too many fights in miserable fashion to be an ATG.

Unfortunately his skills are really homed to jab people into submission, I doubt anyone is coming along soon to remove him.

 

You could say that Vitali has a bigger claim to the linear title.

 

If Vitali didnt come back then YES, but Vitali is back and arguably beat a top3 fighter and another top 8 fighter in Peter and Gomez, better than what Wlads done this year apart from anything

BTW MEndoza also claimed Vitali was linear champion, if Vitali came back after 3 years when there is no linear champion doesnt that still make him lineal champ? Similar to Ali and Jeffries coming back. You cant have it both ways Mendoza

 

Until Wlad fights Vitali or more realistically Vitali quits or loses (and Wlad beats his Conqueror), Wlad has no more claim of lineage than any ******* off spring of Lennox (the people who beat Lewis, and those who beat the man who beat the man who beat Lennox etc), which includes Wlad and Vitali but also Shaun George!

 

I would've said yes if Sam Peter held on to the WBC belt long enough for Wlad to have beaten Chagaev but its a no because Vitali steamrolled him

 

no way a win over a 37 year old Inactive out of shape Golfer gives you the Lineal Belt. Vitlali was NEVER lineal champ. When lewis retired, the lineal belt stayed retired until wlads win over chagaev. Vitali has done NOTHING in the past 4 years to achieve linealship. He beat Sam Peter(who wlad ALREADY BEAT) and then beat a overweightt 36 year old cruiserweight.....Wlad on the otherhand has unified THREE belts, cleaned out the top ranking HW contenders for the past 4 years...and just won the RING belt over Undefeated WBA champ Chagaev.....WLad is going out of his way to take on the divisions best like potvekin and haye..Wlad is clearly the man.

 

I dont know of any case historicaly where a fighter has been recognised as the No1 of the division, in the absence of any other claimant, over such a long period and recognition as the lineal champion has not followed.

It is hard to identify at what point exactly John L Sullivans lineal title claim was established and it was debated at the time but eventualy it developed a momentum of its own and became unstopable.

I think that is what is going to happen with Wladamirs title claim. People will argue about the significance of certain key fights but once the train is rolling down the hill it wont be stopped.

 

We did this one the other day, imo he is likely the lineal champ.

 

You are right public opinion will ultimately write the history of lineage.

The reason that Vlad will not get recognized is because no casual fans in the traditional strong holds of the sport (USA, UK, South Africa, Australia, The Orient and Latin America) gives two hoots about a perceived Ivan Drago clone and the mainstream of the sport is damned if it is going to give recognition to Germany.

 

I tink that regardless of the lack of enthusiasm for Wlad in America and the UK, even in those locations fans accept that he has put blue water between himself and any other plausible claimant.

If the situation dosnt change dramaticaly then acceptance must surely follow.

 

There are definite historical paralels between Wladamir Klitschko and John L Sullivan despite their marked differences in style and temprament.

They have both arrived in a vacum left behind by the retirment of the consensus champion and have had to muddle their way through conflicting title claims and opinions to produce a consensus.

Sullivan of cours proved himself so far ahead of the rest of the field that all other claims were swept aside. Could history be repeating itself?