Deontay Wilder hears lineal and thinks lie.
Wilder continues to dismiss Tyson Fury’s claim on the lineal heavyweight title, which is based on Fury’s unanimous decision over then-undisputed champion Wladimir Klitschko in Dusseldorf, Germany in November 2015.
It’s as simple as connecting dates like dots in a historical line, a lineal succession as old as the British monarchy. It’s sanctioned by history instead of an acronym. But Wilder wants to see something more tangible. He’s looking for a belt, one very much like the green one he had slung across a shoulder when he appeared at a news conference in Los Angeles this week.
“He goes around talking he has the lineal title, something that is make believe and fake,’’ said Wilder, who is three weeks into his training camp for his Feb. 22 rematch of draw with Fury more than 13 months ago. “Only belt he’s got is the one holding up his pants. That’s all he’s got. He ain’t no champion.
“Come February 22, that lineal BS, it ends. It ends with him.’’
There’s been a debate over Fury’s lineal claim. Fury relinquished his belts in 2016 amid doping charges and controversy about his erratic lifestyle. But he didn’t lose them in a fight. The line between him and his victory over Klitschko remains intact. Only a loss in the ring could break that line, turn lineal into a lie. But that loss is not there.
Fury, who promises to teach Wilder a lesson in the ring, tried to teach him a history lesson at the news conference.
“Anybody who knows anything about boxing knows that the lineal title goes back to John L. Sullivan,’’ said Fury, who comes from a long line of the bare-knuckle boxing once practiced in the U.K.
But Wilder doesn’t want to hear lessons. He only wants to see the belts.
