:lol:
The "traditional" route is more fun for us fans, and probably more motivating for the fighters because they get to fight for prestigious titles rather than utterly meaningless baubles.
Downside of the traditional route is that once your fighting for those belts, there's no way to select who you're going to fight anymore. Going the International/Intercontinental/Interplanetary route lets you pick the right opponents at the right time. With the traditional route you fight whoever happens to be going for the same belt at the same time, so the quality and style of the opponents you'll be facing depends on luck rather than careful matchmaking. No wonder promoters occasionally choose another path for their brightest prospects, especially as going for inter-.. baubles can only strengthen their relationship with the alphabets.
Edit: One more thing. The gap between European and Alphabelt level can be huge, especially at the lower weights. Inter-... alphabelts and alphabelt eliminators can help fill that gap.