Has the uk had a world champion since joe calzaghe?

[Jeff Thomas]

I don't mean a vacant belt wearer - I mean a real world champ? No disrespect intended to anyone but want to know if we've had anyone legit and linear?

[Ezzard]

Khan did partly unify...

[orbtastic]

Calzaghe's WBO belt was a vacant title.

From tiny acorns grow mighty oaks and all that.

[danconnollyeire]

Carl Froch won the IBF title

[Horse]

Ricky Hatton was still lineal champion for a few months after Calzaghe retired, but I think that is it.

[The_Don1]

Haye was unified cruiser champ before or around the time Calzaghe retired

[The_Don1]

Haye was unified cruiser champ before or around the time Calzaghe retired

[The_Don1]

Haye was unified cruiser champ before or around the time Calzaghe retired

[15829]

Amir Khan

[RonnieTheSharkClark]

Ricky Burns...

[mfc_se15]

Don't think anyone above has mentioned him so I think Haye was unified cruiser champ before or around the time Calzaghe retired....

[beano]

im sure Haye was unified cruiser champ

[stujones]

Khan, Burns, Haye. Froch (Bute had made 2 defensives - got to call him a geniune champion).

[black panther]

Wasn't Haye the unified Crusierweight champion around the time Calzaghe retired?

[dondada]

I simply can't believe that no one has mentioned that Haye was the unified champ at cruiser.

[iamasadlittleboy]

I'm sorry but we Khan't have Amir, Bradley was the champion following the victory over Alexander IMO.

[mickey1975]

Steve Cunningham was I.B.F Champ when Haye was "unified". Did anyone mention Haye?

[yiddo14]

Cunningham was a paper titlist.

The IBF was stripped from Bell for the usual reason...to create another "champion" in order to make a few more quid.

When Haye beat Mormeck, in reality he became unified champ. Enzo was another 'strap holder'. He won the vacant Wa rren BO title against Hobson!

[loaded_gloves]

Haye beat 'The Man' in Mormeck, otherwise everyone else was a paper titlist or, even worse, a WBO titlist.

[damianhucker1]

Haye beat 'The Man' in Mormeck, otherwise everyone else was a paper titlist or, even worse, a WBO titlist.

I agree ,

Haye was the unified cruiserweight champion around the same time Calzaghe retired after all .

[CharlesListon]

Haye beat 'The Man' in Mormeck, otherwise everyone else was a paper titlist or, even worse, a WBO titlist.

I agree ,

Haye was the unified cruiserweight champion around the same time Calzaghe retired after all .

Was he? How come I've never read that anywhere?

[loaded_gloves]

O'Neil Bell had all three belts but was stripped by proven criminals the IBF over some nonsense. Therefore when Mormeck beat him he became undisputed champ. And when Haye whacked Mormeck in France, Haye became The Man.

The old rule of 'you must have all three major belts to be considered undisputed champion' went out the window in the year 2000 when the WBA forced Lewis to give up the title so John freaking Ruiz could unfairly challenge for it. Lewis continued to be recognised and announced as 'the undisputed champion, because a) he was, and b) the sanctioning bodies were now so openly corrupt and out of control they had made themselves on some level obsolete. This rule has applied throughout the divisions over the last decade.

[orbtastic]

I think some people need to understand what disputed means.

All belts have mandatories, that's the nature of the beast and all part and parcel of fighting for a belt and defending it.

Bell was stripped for not fighting his mandatory and inactivity.

Seems fair enough to me, plenty of people bitch and moan when mandatory contenders don't get a shot or have to wait forever to get what's "due" to them c.f. Olusegun, Froch, Taylor, Marquez et al.

[ShadrachSimmo]

Wasn't Kostya Tszyu the linear champ before he fought Hatton? I think he lost a few titles due to politics so i suppose Hatton was nearly a proper world champ.

[Horse]

I think some people need to understand what disputed means.

All belts have mandatories, that's the nature of the beast and all part and parcel of fighting for a belt and defending it.

Bell was stripped for not fighting his mandatory and inactivity.

Seems fair enough to me, plenty of people bitch and moan when mandatory contenders don't get a shot or have to wait forever to get what's "due" to them c.f. Olusegun, Froch, Taylor, Marquez et al.

So a fighter has to have all four titles to be the undisputed champion?