The Lineal Championship

[ben41193]

Champion Nickname Reign
John L. Sullivan The Boston Strong Boy 1885-1892
James J. Corbett Gentleman Jim 1892-1897
Bob Fitzsimmons Ruby Robert 1897-1899
James J. Jeffries The Boilermaker 1899-1905, retired
Marvin Hart The Fightin' Kentuckian 1905-1906
Tommy Burns The Little Giant of Hanover 1906-1908
Jack Johnson Lil' Arthur 1908-1915
Jess Willard The Pottawatomie Giant 1915-1919
Jack Dempsey The Manassa Mauler 1919-1926
Gene Tunney The Fighting Marine 1926-1928, retired
Max Schmeling The Black Uhlan of the Rhine 1930-1932
Jack Sharkey The Boston Gob 1932-1933
Primo Carnera The Ambling Alp 1933-1934
Max Baer The "Livermore Larruper" 1934-1935
James J. Braddock The Cinderella Man 1935-1937
Joe Louis The Brown Bomber 1937-1949, retired
Ezzard Charles The Cincinnatti Cobra 1949-1951
"Jersey" Joe Walcott Jersey Joe 1951-1952
Rocky Marciano The Brockton Blockbuster 1952-1956, retired
Floyd Patterson . 1956-1959
Ingemar Johansson Ingo 1959-1960
Floyd Patterson . 1960-1962
Charles "Sonny" Liston Sonny 1962-1964
Cassius Clay The Louisville Lip 1964-1970, retires
Joe Frazier Smokin Joe 1970-1973
George Foreman . 1973-1974
Muhammad Ali The Greatest 1974-1978
Leon Spinks Neon Leon 1978
Muhammad Ali The Greatest 1978-1979, retires 6/79
Larry Holmes The Easton Assasin 1980-1985
Michael Spinks The Spinks Jinx 1985-1988
Mike Tyson Iron Mike 1988-1990
James "Buster" Douglas Buster 1990
Evander Holyfield The Real Deal 1990-1992
Rid**** Bowe Big Daddy 1992-1993
Evander Holyfield The Real Deal 1993-1994
Michael Moorer Double M 1994
George Foreman Big George 1994-1997
Shannon Briggs The Cannon 1997-1998
Lennox Lewis The Lion 1998-2001
Hasim Rahman The Rock 2001
Lennox Lewis The Lion 2001-2004, Retires

I used to be able to recite this from memory lol..I still can but i mess up after douglas. lol

[THE REAL NINJA]

I used to be able to recite this from memory lol..I still can but i mess up after douglas. lol

I was the same way back when I was reading boxing books every day . I'd get mixed up with Hart and Burns most of the time .

[THE REAL NINJA]

from 1890-1949, the title was being defended like once a year and there were time frames in which the champ didnt defend his belt within 4 years.

Problems with Lineal Championships
The narrow view behind a lineal championship has sometimes lead to controversy - exactly what it is intended to avert - in that the lineal champion is not seen by the public at large as the best fighter in the world. Shannon Briggs, for example, became lineal champion after defeating George Foreman in controversial fashion, but few saw him as superior to Lennox Lewis, who would later defeat Briggs in convincing fashion.

Also, when a boxer retires from the ring, the "lineal title" is viewed as vacant - and can be vacant for indefinite periods, until one boxer establishes himself as dominant in his weight class. For example, in the Cruiserweight division, there was no lineal titleholder for nearly 15 years following Evander Holyfield's decision to step up to the Heavyweight class.

Also, as an unofficial title, there is no real motivation for a lineal titleholder to "defend his title," either within a prescribed period of time or against quality opposition. Other fighters have found it difficult to hold the titles of multiple organizations for long periods of time. The economic and political interests of the sanctioning organizations favor a large number of champions even if they are second-rate.

[Emon723]

Jack Root (1903)
George Gardner (1903)
Bob Fitzsimmons (1903-1905)
Philadelphia Jack O'Brien (1905, never defended)
Jack Dillon (1914-1916)
Battling Levinsky (1916-1920)
Georges Carpentier (1920-1922)
Battling Siki (1922-1923)
Mike McTigue (1923-1925)
Paul Berlenbach (1925-1926)
Jack Delaney (1926-1927, never defended)
Tommy Loughran (1927, vacated title 1929)
Maxie Rosenbloom (1932-1934)
Bob Olin (1934-1935)
John Henry Lewis (1935 to Jun 1939, retires)
Billy Conn (1939 vacates title May 1941)
Gus Lesnevich (1941-1948)
Freddie Mills (1948-1950)
Joey Maxim (1950-1952)
Archie Moore (1952-1962)
Moore is stripped by various organizations and ultimately gives up the title. Harold Johnson beat Doug Jones for the unndisputed title.
Harold Johnson (1962-1963)
Willie Pastrano (1963-1965)
Jose Torres (1965-1966)
**** Tiger (1966-1968)
Bob Foster (1968, retired September 16, 1974 Michael Spinks (1983-Sep. 1985, vacates title).
Virgil Hill (1996 - 1997)
Dariusz Michalczewski (1997-2003)
Julio Gonzalez (2003-2004)
Zsolt Erdei (2004-present)

Great lists, Roy Jones was never a Linear Light HW champion, even though he had all 3 titles in his waist, Light heavies had no unification after Michael Spinks, Hill and Moorer were supposed to unify the belts but Virgil opted for tommy Hearns and Moorer moved up to heavyweight.