Comments Thread For: Photos: Vitali Klitschko Congratulates Oleksandr Usyk, Presents WBC Belt

[BIGPOPPAPUMP]

Usyk, Klitschko Photos Gallery - The Mayor of Kiev, Ukraine, Vitali Klitschko, met with the new world heavyweight champion, countryman Oleksandr Usyk, to congratulate him on his recent triumph over British superstar Anthony Joshua.
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[roademier]

So how would the new heavyweight champ do against the former heavy champ from Ukraine when he held the belt?
and also younger bro?

[Ravensfan]

I thought that I read somewhere that unlike Vitali Wlad isn't a Uysk fan. Anyone know why?

[Boxing Goat]

The most dangerous HW ever and one of the most technical side by side, what a sight.

[Boxing Goat]

I thought that I read somewhere that unlike Vitali Wlad isn't a Uysk fan. Anyone know why?

I think I heard that too but I saw no real evidence to support it so I feel like this says otherwise.

[Pyvo]

KYIV, not Kiev.

[roademier]

The most dangerous HW ever and one of the most technical side by side, what a sight.

I didn't think Vitali was one of the most technical?

[MrShakeAndBake]

Legends!!!!

[Boro]

I thought that I read somewhere that unlike Vitali Wlad isn't a Uysk fan. Anyone know why?

Probably because the "rumours" (not really rumours) that he embarrassed him at a public workout when he was training for Fury and he was forced to kick him out before the cameras arrived.

[Marchegiano]

Oh **** I did not expect anything like this.

Pretty much any time lineal comes up in any form I take it as an opportunity to outline at least a few examples as to how lineal before the sanctioning bodies used to work and how that is different to how lineal works today.

I know folks don't really like reading so I'll get straight to my point then explain it. Oleksandr Usyk just got handed arguably just as strong a claim to lineal as Fury has.

From Figg to now the only thing consistent in lineal HW history is recognition. Shortest way I can explain it is it's a popularity contest, like being prom king. Schools, like eras, might have different rules but what it really comes down to at the end of the day is who has the popular vote.

Let me be clear, not only is man who beat the man second, in terms of consistency, to popular vote, but also there's plenty of champions you already recognize who never beat anyone to be champion. So man who beat the man is really just lazy **** people say to be honest. There's plenty of time when a recognized lineal champion beat absolutely no one to become champion.

So, really, there's a ton of ways to get the popular vote, not just beating the old champion, and, beating the old champion does not always guarantee you will get popular recognition as the lineal champion. One of the best ways to be the new champion and get the public behind you is to be given a belt by a past champion everyone respects. If you look at Cribb to Spring and look for a vacancy fight where Spring won Cribb's belt against someone else you'll not find it because Cribb just elected Spring to champion status and gave him his belt.

The opposite example happens something like 20-30 years later where you have Deaf Burke winning multiple vacant bouts but not getting recognized as champion because the old champion said he wasn't english enough...despite being 100% english mind.

Most importantly, and to save a bunch of time bringing up examples, when lineal was actually a tradition and not some **** fans make up to justify their beliefs, the most important aspect of the title was champion's prerogative. Before bodies and ratings and weight divisions it was the champions themselves who decided who had the honor of fighting them, who was good and who was ****, what was fair, and who would be champion after them should they never lose the title. All, like a king, just decided by the champion themselves.

So, back to Usyk vs Fury. I think by now why I think Usyk has a very good historically based claim is clear. He got the nod of approval from a respected former champion. When Wlad was awarded lineal that was done, basically by Ring, when Wlad beat Ruslan and justified by the #1 in the division fighting the #2 in the division. Which has **** all nothing to do with anything historical. So if we go back to after the reign of Lennox and look through a historical lens there's grounds for Vitali being the next lineal after Lennox because Vitali fought Lennox and a lot of folks think he would have won that had his face held together. Which in historical terms is a huge claim. Next he was the first major champion post Lennox before Wlad had actually fought much of anyone. Which, like I said, in historical terms would be way more important than ratings that didn't exist. And from there, Vitali handing Usyk a belt, that's historical as ****. It's literally how the first ever, ****ing ever, belt vacancy was ever filled. Get handed a belt and told you know you'll prove it later, that's just Cribb-Spring.

So, you know, lineal is what it is today. I can't argue against that, but, I can call Usyk the historically accurate lineal champion. Wlad and Fury are some made up ring **** to sell magazines to be honest.