Lineal World Champion, not Linear

The latest Roots of Fight tee caused some confusion on the UG about Lineal and Linear.

Know your roots, it is Lineal, not Linear.

lin·e·al  (ln-l)
adj.
1. Belonging to or being in the direct line of descent from an ancestor.
2. Derived from or relating to a particular line of descent; hereditary.
3. Linear.


http://shop.mixedmartialarts.com/Roots-of-Fight-Mike-Tyson-1988-Shirt/rof-1015,default,pd.html?start=4&cgid=whats-new&utm_source=usp&utm_medium=txl&utm_campaign=ust

Color: Black
 


 

 Boxing used to have eight champions, and every month Ring Magazine listed the champion, and the top 10 contenders.

Then the alphabet soup of santioning bodies turned it all into a dog's breakfast. Thus was born the idea of a lineal champion - The man who beat the man.

In the 70s I could do it from memory. 

Here is the Lineal world heavyweight boxing champion since The Great John L. Sullivan. However, even the Lineal title can get muddied, when a fighter retires, dies, is stripped of his title, or changes weight class.
John L. Sullivan (Feb. 7, 1882)
James J. Corbett
Bob Fitzsimmons
James J. Jeffries
May 13, 1905 - July 3, 1905: Title Vacant
Marvin Hart
Tommy Burns
Jack Johnson
Jess Willard
Jack Dempsey
Gene Tunney
July 31, 1928 - June 12, 1930: Title Vacant
Max Schmeling
Jack Sharkey
Primo Carnera
Max Baer
James J. Braddock
Joe Louis
Mar. 1, 1949 - Sept. 27, 1950: Title Vacant
Ezzard Charles
Jersey Joe Walcott
Rocky Marciano
Apr. 27, 1956 - Nov. 30, 1956: Title Vacant
Floyd Patterson
Ingemar Johansson
Floyd Patterson
Sonny Liston
Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali 
Apr. 28, 1967 - Mar. 8, 1971: Title Vacant
Joe Frazier
George Foreman
Muhammad Ali
Leon Spinks
Muhammad Ali
June 27, 1979 - Oct. 2, 1980: Title Vacant
Larry Holmes
Michael Spinks
Mike Tyson - On June 27, 1988 Tyson won championship via 1st round KO of Michael Spinks.
James 'Buster' Douglas
Evander Holyfield
Riddick Bowe
Evander Holyfield
Michael Moorer
George Foreman
Shannon Briggs
Lennox Lewis 
Hasim Rahman
Lennox Lewis
In 2004 even the Lineal championship went to hell.
 
So it is Lineal, not Linear.
 

Anyone want to do the MMA Lineal Heavyweight Champion?
 

Isn't Reem lineal champ?

 The first MMA heavyweight title was given to Mark Coleman after his submission victory over Dan Severn at UFC 12.

Mark Coleman [6-0] record before losing to:
Maurice Smith [4-7] at UFC 14.

Maurice Smith [6-7] record before losing to:
Randy Couture[3-0] at UFC 15.5.

Randy Couture [4-0] record before losing to:
Enson Inoue [8-3] at Vale Tudo Japan.

Enson Inoue [10-3] record before losing to:
Mark Kerr [11-0] at PRIDE Grand Prix 2000.

Mark Kerr [12-0] record before losing to:
Kazuyki Fujita [3-0] at PRIDE Grand Prix 2000.

Kazuyki Fujita [4-0] record before losing to:
Mark Coleman [9-4] at PRIDE Grand Prix 2000.

Mark Coleman [12-4] record before losing to:
Rodrigo Nogueira  [12-1] at PRIDE 16.

Rodrigo Nogueira [19-1] record before losing to:
Fedor Emelianenko [12-1] at Pride 25.

Fedor Emelianenko [31-1] record before losing to:
Fabrico Werdum [13-4] at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum.

Fabrico Werdum [14-4]record before losing to:
Alistair Overeem [43-11] at Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum.

One potentail area of dispute in determining a linear champion is determining the original champion. If you consider Royce Gracie the original openweight champion because of tournament wins in UFC 1, the road still leads to 'Reem.

Royce Gracie UFC 1 Champ. [8-0] record before losing to:
Harold Howard [1-0] via forfeit at UFC 3.

Harold Howard [2-0] record before losing to:
Steve Jennum [0-0] at UFC 3.

Steve Jennum [2-0] record before losing to:
Tank Abbott [2-1] at UU 95 - Ultimate Ultimate 1995.

Tank Abbott [3-1] record before losing to:
Dan Severn [6-2] at UU 95 - Ultimate Ultimate 1995.

Dan Severn [14-2] record before losing to:
Mark Coleman [5-0] at UFC 12.

And then, again, the road leads back to Alistair Overeem.

Even if you do not count Royce Gracie's loss to Harold Howard legit and follow his next loss to Sakuraba, you stil get Overeem.

Royce Gracie UFC 1 Champ [11-1] record before losing to:
Sakuraba [8-1] at PRIDE Grand Prix 2000.

Sakuraba [9-1] record before losing to:
Igor Vovchanchyn [34-2] at PRIDE Grand Prix 2000.

Igor Vovchanchyn [35-2] record before losing to:
Mark Coleman [10-4] at PRIDE Grand Prix 2000.

Mark Coleman [12-4] record before losing to:
Rodrigo Nogueira [12-1] at PRIDE 16.

Ive always felt that the notion of lineal champions is a bit too much like MMA math, but interesting stuff.

Cool post.

Underground Store -</p><p>One potentail area of dispute in determining a linear champion is determining the original champion. If you consider Royce Gracie the original openweight champion because of tournament wins in UFC 1, the road still leads to 'Reem.



So it's lineal in boxing and linear in MMA?

 It is Lineal in fight sports.

The fujita loss to Coleman shouldn't really count but it doesn't matter still ends up with the reem Phone Post

me dumb