Lineal title in boxing??

Question

What does it mean in sports especially boxing? Nate Campbell has three belts in the lightweight category and Joel Casamayor has 1 and yet Casamayor is considered the lineal champion. What does that mean??

Answer 1

It means you beat the man who beat the man who beat the man.

Ex. When Hopkins won the middleweight tournament he was the undisputed middleweight champ. If he would have vacated one of the belts and Jermain Taylor was awarded the belt then Taylor or whoever beat Taylor would not be the lineal champ. If Pavlik beat Hopkins he would be the lineal champ.

Answer 2

The real recognized champion of any division. Casamayor has the highest regarded title in that division. Basicaly hes the guy to beat.

Answer 3

The lineal champion is the TRUE champion in their weight class.  "In order to BE the champ, you have to BEAT the champ."  The lineal titleholder is the man who beat the guy that was previously the champ.  I'll show you with the example of the lightweights that you mentioned.

When Juan Diaz won his first title, he beat a guy called Lakva Sim.  Sim was not considered the true champ at the time, he was only a titleholder.  Jose Luis Castillo was considered the true champion because when he won the vacant title, he was the number 1 contender and his opponent, Juan Lazcano was the number 2 contender, so after he beat Lazcano he became linear champ.  Castillo then lost to Diego Corrales.  So Corrales inherited the true championship.  Corrrales then lost to Joel Casamayor, so Casamayor inherited the true championship.  Diaz went on to win two more titles against Julio Diaz and Acelino Freitas, but he never faced Casamayor, so he was only considered a titleholder, not a true champion.  Casamayor has yet to lose since he won the title, so he is still the true lightweight champion of the world.  Diaz lost his titles to Nate Campbell.  Campbell is now a titleholder and the number one contender, but Casamayor is still the champ.  If Campbell wants to be the real champion of the division, then he will have to fight Casamayor again (they fought once before and Casamayor won a decision).

Answer 4

It means you beat the man who beat the man.

Answer 5

Lineal refers to undisputed champions who follow in the legacy of being the real champion at that division. you can have 3 belts but that does not mean that you are the undisputed champ. its hard to be lineal with most fighters not becoming disputed and being defeated as such. think the welterweight division. judah beat spinks and beame the new champ, judah lost to baldamir baldimir lost to mayweather but whe only had 2 belts but was the lineal champion. judah still had the IBF belt but he was not a lineal champ, just a belt holder