Lineal title means a lot more than an ABC title. Whoever holds it in the eyes of many hardcore boxing fans and boxing historians is considered to be the true champion.

Would anyone here dare say John Ruiz was Heavyweight champion when he beat Holyfield for the WBA alphabet strap while Lennox Lewis was universally recognized as the lineal champ? Is John Ruiz considered to be the same kind of HW champ as Sullivan, Dempsey, Johnson, Louis, Marciano, Ali, Holmes? Or was he just an paper champion?