WBO champions: when do you start counting them as "real" world champions?

[famicommander]

The WBO started in 1988, but at the time their world titles were lightly regarded and their champions would often drop their belts in order challenge for the other three belts or even to participate in eliminators for those belts.

Gradually they started gaining more respect, and in the mid-90s a few WBO champions began to beat the champions of other organizations in the ring.

In 2000, the WBA began recognizing the WBO as a legitimate world title.
In 2004 the WBC followed suit
In 2006 the IBF recognized them, and so the WBO achieved equal footing among the others

The question is, at what point do you consider the title legitimate? When one governing body recognized them? Two? Or all three?

If we take the lineage of the WBO heavyweight title from the beginning

1. Francesco Damiani (def. Johnny du Plooy for the vacant title) - May 1989
2. Ray Mercer - def. Damiani January 1991, vacated December 1991
3. Michael Moorer - (def. Bert Cooper for the vacant title) May 1992, vacated February 1993 to pursue other belts
4. Tommy Morrison (def. George Foreman for the vacant title) - June 1993
5. Michael Bentt def. Morrison October 1993
6. Herbie Hide def. Bentt March 1994
7. Rid**** Bowe def. Hide March 1995, vacated to fight Holyfield
8. Henry Akinwande (def. Jeremy Williams for the vacant title) June 1996, vacated January 1997 to become WBC mandatory
9. Herbie Hide (2) (def. Tony Tucker for the vacant title) June 1997
10. Vitali Klitschko def. Hide June 1999 (WBA recognized during this reign)
11. Chris Byrd def. Klitschko April 2000
12. Wladimir Klitschko def. Byrd October 2000
13. Corrie Sanders def. Klitschko March 2003, vacated to fight Vitali December 2003
14. Lamon Brewster (def. Wladimir Klitschko for vacant belt) - April 2004 (WBC recognized during this reign)
15. Siarhei Liahkovich def. Brewster April 2006 (IBF recognized during this reign)
16. Shannon Briggs def. Liakhovich November 2006
17. Sultan Ibragimov def. Briggs June 2007
18. Wladimir Klitschko (2) def. Ibragimov February 2007
19. Tyson Fury def. Wladimir Klitshko November 2015
20. Joseph Parker (def. Andy Ruiz Jr for vacant belt) - December 2016
21. Anthony Joshua def. Parker March 2018
22. Andy Ruiz Jr def. Joshua June 2019
23. Anthony Joshua (2) def. Andy Ruiz Jr December 2019
24. Oleskandr Usyk def. Anthony Joshua September 2021

Whom do you consider the first true WBO world heavyweight champion?

[JAB5239]

Never....unless they're unified and/or lineal. Everything else no matter what org I s just a paper titlist.

[billeau2]

Never....unless they're unified and/or lineal. Everything else no matter what org I s just a paper titlist.

Amen... exactly.

Charlie Z decided one day to make a belt... he had some Tshirts made, claimed to be a champ, basically going to soft belly gyms like 24 hour fitness (don't make noises when you lift!) and looking for marks... People act like when something gets sanctioned from the state it is legit... To me? its basically the same thing that Charlie did... in both cases the belt is manufactured and not based on quality, real fighters with excellence fighting the best there is... So they are BS, another hand in a man's pocket...

Ill even give an analogy: I was a real estate appraiser for many years. Learned from a brilliant guy and all. Well... all these organizations are out there that appraisers have to "belong to." Allegedlly these organizations control quality and they cost a lot of money for any appraiser. I see appraissals and appraisers today and so many of them are shiat. Where is the "quality?"

Really good apraisers come about when they are trained intelligently and are themselves intelligent... Period, no need to pick a man's pocket.

[Nash out]

Amen... exactly.

Charlie Z decided one day to make a belt... he had some Tshirts made, claimed to be a champ, basically going to soft belly gyms like 24 hour fitness (don't make noises when you lift!) and looking for marks... People act like when something gets sanctioned from the state it is legit... To me? its basically the same thing that Charlie did... in both cases the belt is manufactured and not based on quality, real fighters with excellence fighting the best there is... So they are BS, another hand in a man's pocket...

Ill even give an analogy: I was a real estate appraiser for many years. Learned from a brilliant guy and all. Well... all these organizations are out there that appraisers have to "belong to." Allegedlly these organizations control quality and they cost a lot of money for any appraiser. I see appraissals and appraisers today and so many of them are shiat. Where is the "quality?"

Really good apraisers come about when they are trained intelligently and are themselves intelligent... Period, no need to pick a man's pocket.

Charlie beat Deric the giant, southpaw Sil, Pizza delivery guy, and Navy Seal #6. If those aren't wins for the ages then I don't know what are. Nash out.

[billeau2]

Charlie beat Deric the giant, southpaw Sil, Pizza delivery guy, and Navy Seal #6. If those aren't wins for the ages then I don't know what are. Nash out.

Derrick the Giant showed a vid with him hitting Charles through the ropes... BUt it was later learned that was Charlie's brother...

[markusmod]

I first became aware of them during Morrison vs. Foreman.

[Nash out]

Derrick the Giant showed a vid with him hitting Charles through the ropes... BUt it was later learned that was Charlie's brother...

Charlie Z is unbeatable. His 1 pro fight was incorrectly called a DQ, he was robbed. He also invented a new method of victory. If you put your hands in the air and say "I win" you are the victor. He is a true warrior. Nash out.

[QueensburyRules]

Never....unless they're unified and/or lineal. Everything else no matter what org I s just a paper titlist.

- -WBO established around the same as IBF and may even be older, but being Eurocentric were not accepted by myopic Americans. Whereas the Crook that established IBF was just fine with the crooked echo chamber of American boxing establishment.

Lineal is as defunct as The Cave Bear and Saber Tooth Tiger. Ring title prob the closest in concept to ye aulde lineal, but even those clowns have fouled up over the years with their blatant favoritism while ignoring their own rules for conferring their Ring title. See the current heavywt Ring champ...

[JAB5239]

- -WBO established around the same as IBF and may even be older, but being Eurocentric were not accepted by myopic Americans. Whereas the Crook that established IBF was just fine with the crooked echo chamber of American boxing establishment.

Lineal is as defunct as The Cave Bear and Saber Tooth Tiger. Ring title prob the closest in concept to ye aulde lineal, but even those clowns have fouled up over the years with their blatant favoritism while ignoring their own rules for conferring their Ring title. See the current heavywt Ring champ...

See the current champion? The guy who beat Wlad Klit to take the lineal title?

The WBO was created in 1988, the IBF in 1984. You can claim it was not accepted because Americans are myopic, but the facts are their first heavyweight champion who's biggest win was over a fringe contender and his opponent hadn't beaten anyone close to being a contender. I mean seriously, did you actually look at that as a legitimate fight for a world championship?

[QueensburyRules]

See the current champion? The guy who beat Wlad Klit to take the lineal title?

The WBO was created in 1988, the IBF in 1984. You can claim it was not accepted because Americans are myopic, but the facts are their first heavyweight champion who's biggest win was over a fringe contender and his opponent hadn't beaten anyone close to being a contender. I mean seriously, did you actually look at that as a legitimate fight for a world championship?

- -Wlad held the Ring title, and the guy who beat him was on steroids and ducked the rematch to go on a 400lb bender in the most massive forfeiture of heavy title in history.

The 2nd most massive forfeiture of a heavy title is when Lar ducked his mandatory Greg Page in exchange for Bob Lee creating a new title for him whereby Bonecrusher Smith who had never beaten even a fringe contender and in fact was KOed in his debut by a novice was made his challenger.

Thanks for the reminder...