Current legitimate + illegitimate World Champs

Ok, we had some good debate (Rowle, I and others) on another thread about the legitimacy of "belts". So, let's compile a list. How may actual qualified and deserving world champs do we currently have?

Mark criteria as this.

1. who they are willing to face as champ.
2. Who they are/are not ducking.


And anything else you have.

Let me start.

Andre Ward. He's a bonified world champ. Beat a world champ, fought i a serious tourney against tough opposition.

Rpbert Stieglitz is not. Has never beaten a top SM in his career, this in a stacked division.

This is not a P4P list of worlld champs, some divisions may not have even one genuine world champ in your opinion (prob do but you get my meaning).

I just want to see who people think are and are not genuine world champs at the moment.

Personally Sean I am less worried about how a fighter wins their world title, because in these times it is increasingly common to see guys win vacant or interim belts, it is what they do once they get it that counts. For me would have to put Wlad forward as a genuine champion, ducks nobody, has fought unifications and the ridiculous idea he should fight his brother aside am not sure what more could be asked of him.

Good point, i took it out.

Wlad defo, he may not have much decent opp, but he fought Haye for the unification, and lets be honest, there isn't much beyond that. Also, he can never fight his brother, that's inhumane in a sport like this.

Povetkin is a prime example.

1. Beat Chagaev for the "vacant" "title".
2. He'll take on anyone, provided they are a cruiserweight or not very good.
3. Ducking the Klitschko brothers, and readily admits to doing so.

Great work, Champ.

Agree Stieglitz is absolutely abysmal. If Cleverly isn't careful he will become the Welsh Robert Stieglitz if he doesn't pull his finger out soon.

My personal favourite fighter to hate at the moment has to be Marco Huck. This idiot's delusions of grandeur are almost as annoying as they are absurd - whether it be through thinking he's the best cruiserweight by miles even though he doesn't fight anyone with a pulse or his fantastical claims of being able to dethrone the Klitschkos.

He's the least skilled so-called world champion I've ever seen.

As for legitimacy, can't really argue with Andre Ward. Can't think of many others though. Not a follower of the lower weights and there's no real claim to legitimacy north of super middleweight.

Union Cane wrote:Povetkin is a prime example.

1. Beat Chagaev for the "vacant" "title".
2. He'll take on anyone, provided they are a cruiserweight or not very good.
3. Ducking the Klitschko brothers, and readily admits to doing so.

Great work, Champ.

I don't even regard Povetkin as a world champion in any way, legitimate or illegitimate. Calling Povetkin an illegitimate world champion is being too kind.

I don't regard Povetkin as a world champ

Seriously, struggling to think of many haha

There is 3 or 4 at each weight along with interim, diamond, super etc.

Easier to pick the man at each weight and hope he fights someone else who is top 5 at his weight. Seems to be the best we can hope for these days.

Cut out the Diamond and Silver belt holders, the interim and intercontinental bs and of course the "regular" WBA strap which only comes along when someone holds more than just the original title and essentially means you're not allowed to hold two full titles as long as one is the WBA.

I also don't regard the IBA, WBF, WBU rubbish as material of champions, just an opportunist's way of making an easy buck.

Surely to be "World Champion"/recognised by us as "the man" - you have to be clearly the best in your division?

As I said on the other thread - due to Showtime's outrageous US bias - we can't quite put Ward in that bracket - as Showtime wanted no part of Bute due to his nationality "not fitting their plan". Further - Ward hasn't really conquered speed yet - and whilst judging by his fundamentals I don't doubt he would be able to deal with Bute's pace - Bute DOES have bona fide speed.

So I don't quite see Ward as THE champion at 168. If Froch beats Bute easily - we'll know.

Wlad is a legitimate champion - although there is the issue with him and his big bro. There can only be 1 champion.

Cruiser has no-one.

LHW - Ghosty would put Hopkins forward - but he doesn't quite make my cut - until he's beaten Dawson at any rate.

Martinez at MW - clear champ - beat Pavlik, then PWilly.

No-one clear at LMW - and until Canelo fights the winner of Floyd/Cotto at 154 - (and then arguably beats Martinez at 154 as well) - I don't see that changing.

No-one at WW - for obvious reasons

No-one at LWW. Khan isn't any more real than Bradley was.

Marquez is real at LW.

Its not an issue with belts. Lets face it - if Floyd were to beat Manny at Welter - would anyone demand he held a WBC/WBA/IBF/WBO/WTF belt? We'd know he was the best. And vice versa.

The problem with boxing isn't that there are too many beltholders - but its that the beltholders and challengers aren't fighting each other.

The fact that Haye was a world champion at HW - with a resume of Bonin, Barrett, Valuev, Ruiz and Harrison - all of whom, incidentally - were a few years past their primes - and yet he didn't have any of: Povetkin/Adamek/Arreola etc says it all. He will be remembered as a beltholder - and rightfully so - but I doubt many people who take the sport seriously will remember him as world champion. He was a beltholder during the Klitschko's reign - no different from Cleverly now with Hopkins/Dawson.

He has a chance but Stieglitz is decent just not on the same level as the top guys at 168lbs. Groves has a chance but Stieglitz will be the favourite.

For me there can only be one legitimate world champ in each division, here's how I see it.

Heavyweight - Wlad for me is clearly the man. He took over during Vitali's retirement and until someone beats him or he starts ducking a legitimate threat he will be the man.

Cruiserweight - No one

Lightheavy - If Hopkins beats Dawson that's good enough for me but if Dawson beats Hopkins you then have him, Hopkins and Pascal with very similar claims and no stand out champion.

SuperMiddle - Ward for now but if Bute beats Froch in a similar way then it'll be open for debate.

Middleweight - Martinez, I'm not a big fan of his but he's clearly the man in a really bad division.

Lightmiddle - No one with a real claim here to be the man, watch out for Molina on Saturday though when he beats on Kirkland.

Welter - Floyd for me is the best here but world champ he is not until he beats Manny

Lightwelter - Bradley the best of them but clear world champ he is not.

Lightweight - No champ here. Marquez hasn't fought here since 2010 and his next fight is Lightwelter as well so for me he's vacated and no one has filled the void.

Superfeather - Broner's the best of the bunch but still not done enough to say with absolute clarity that he's the man at the weight.

Feather - Gamboa, best there by some distance but would like to see him beat John.

Super Bantam - Nishioka perhaps with the best claim but with Donaire and Rigondaeux in the division I make him the 3rd best fighter there.

In the lower weights I don't really know enough to say who should be considered the man and genuine world champion in each weight. So a grand total of about 3 legitimate world champions in my book, less than the WBA have per division.

Oddly enough I started writing an post on Word but gave up last night:

Looking at some of the posts (from myself included) I've noticed a bit of doom and gloom. We have fans losing faith in the Sweet Science, posters on here repeating the same issues (mainly because we care) and the sense that boxing is in no mans land...

WELL! (I say) The Ring Magazine didn't create it's belts for no reason.

As a bit of fun, why don't we just create our own "Overall Generally regarded best/lineal Championship?" of the 606v2 OGRB/L Belt - Feel free to tweak the name.

It's not about copying The Ring champions as some of them haven't even been filled, but I was thinking as a bit of fun and over the course of the next couple of days or so, we just rank the best in the division "award" the belts and when Fights happen we can at least keep track of who is officially "OUR" champion.

Clearly similar themes here.

Why don't we collate a list through a voting system to honour who we believe as champs?

Sounds a good idea - seems we're in agreement.

I'll start up the thread.

For me the only guys that can call themselves the man at their weight at the moment are:

HW: Wlad
LH: Hopkins
SMW: Ward
MW: Martinez

Pretty strange because so many of the top pound for pound fighters like Mayweather, Pacquiao, Donaire, Nishioka, Gamboa etc have all failed so far to establish themselves as the clear best in their division.