Monthly Ratings
The Lineal Boxing Champion monthly ratings are produced by an international panel of 10 boxing analysts. Boxers are ranked according to ability and accomplishments in their respective weight classes. As a general rule, fighters who have been inactive for 18 months, with still no fights scheduled, are removed from the ratings.
Filling a Championship Vacancy
A match-up in a weight class between the #1 and #2 rated contenders, or the #1 and #3 rated contenders, may be eligible to fill a championship vacancy.
As with the men’s Lineal Championship Policy, “The wider opinion among the boxing fraternity will also taken into consideration - this may include the opinions of prominent boxing journalists/pundits/boxers and other impartial independent ratings.”
Winning the Championship from the Champion
To become the champion, the challenger must beat the champion in a fight in which both boxers weigh-in officially within the divisional weight range.
The Championship becomes Vacant
The two main circumstances which may cause a championship to become vacant:
1) A formally announced retirement e.g. at a press conference.
2) The champion declares that she is leaving the weight class, with no foreseeable plans to return to the division.
PEDs
A boxer who tests positive for Performance Enhancing Drugs - for the fight in which she wins the Lineal Championship, leading to the official verdict being nullified, will not be recognised as Lineal Champion.
Pregnancy
A boxer who is pregnant during her championship reign will be continued to be recognised as lineal champion, until she loses the crown in the ring, retires, vacates, or abandons (see below) the championship.
Contenders ranked in our divisional rankings who become pregnant will be removed from the monthly ratings, on the basis that they are likely to be inactive in their weight class for at least 12 months. Upon their return the boxer will be assessed in the same manner as any other boxer who has returned after a 12 months (plus) period of inactivity.
Abandonment
In the extremely unlikely event that a champion refuses to retire, but also refuses to defend her title for a period of longer than 3 years 3 months, it could be considered that the champion has abandoned her title. To prevent a situation whereby the title is frozen for potentially decades, the leading contenders may be eligible to fight for the abandoned crown.
The 3 years, 3 months time-frame is used in order to be respectful of past champions. Aside from Tony Zale’s reign in the 1940s, whose reign was affected by World War 2, it represents the longest period of inactivity (Jess Willard’s reign) a Lineal Champion has had in over 100 years of gloved boxing.
A shorter time-frame is not used, because many Hall of Fame champions have had periods of inactivity of 1-3 years, and as history shows, they returned to defend their titles.
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