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The List: Best nicknames in boxing history From the Page 2 mailbag | ||||
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1. Iron Mike -- Mike Tyson (88 letters) Forget about the cloud of psychopathic delusion he seems to exist in, the man's early career was brutally legendary. The nickname "Iron" was as simplistic as his style; he didn't need a ring entrance with the production value of a Hollywood blockbuster, just black trunks, black shoes, and intimidation. His method in the ring was just as basic, every movement made with the cunning ferocity of a predator stalking its prey and every punch thrown with bad intentions. Byron Frost South Lake Tahoe, Calif. Its simple enough, but boy does it fit...like a (boxing) glove. Ben Philadelphia
2. The Greatest -- Muhammad Ali (39 letters)
Marcos Benedith New York
"The Greatest." Because he was.
3. Butterbean -- Eric Esche (30 letters) Don McGhee Chicago
A nickname so good, he legally changed his name.
4. Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini (24 letters) No nickname was more descriptive. One punch from this lightweight and "Boom Boom" out went his opponent's lights. An average boxer with a good punch and a great big heart! Jimmy Hillman Fremont, Calif. All offense and no defense. Mancini would often take three punches in order to throw just one punch. Even more amazing was that he wasn't a particularly one-punch knockout artist. Ray would just Boom Boom you until your heart was worn down. Ernest Lawley Washington
5. James "Bonecrusher" Smith (22 letters) I am shocked that "Bonecrusher" Smith not only failed to make the top 10 but was left off the honorable mentions as well. With a name like "Bonecrusher" you can do whatever you want. No jostling in line, no rudeness from waiters, no bargaining with car salesmen. Bonecrusher gets what Bonecrusher wants. Or else. J. "Kamikaze" Eskenazi Oakland, Calif. Just reading the name should make your ribs hurt. Paul Nelson New York
6. "Sweet Pea" -- Pernell Whitaker (19 letters)
Bill Luppert Canterbury, Conn. Can you imagine getting your behind kicked by a guy with a nickname like "Sweet Pea"? One of the best pound for pound fighters of all time. Adam Morris Carlsbad, Calif.
7. "Marvelous" -- Marvin Halger (17 letters) He made the middleweight division glamorous again. No longer was it the heavyweights as the only fighters people paid attention to. And, if it weren't for the jobbong he got in the Leonard fight, he'd be an icon. In fact, Leonard went up a division to fight Hagler because that is where the competition was. Rick Mahoney Mansfield, Mass. Without question one of the best boxers of our time. He would fight anyone and everyone. He wanted Leonard so bad he gave into his demands and had the bigger ring and 12 rounds instead of 15. The man changed his legal name to Marvelous for crying out loud, does it get any better than that? There will never be another Hagler. Jason S. Weidenfeld Overland Park, Kan. 8. "The Hitman" -- Tommy Hearns (16 letters) Nothing symbolizes violence, fear and 100 percent business like a hitman. Sandy MacPherson Toronto What could be tougher than having the nickname of somebody who is paid to destroy people. Perfect. Matthew Robison Bellingham, Va.
9. "The Italian Stallion" -- Rocky Balboa (14 letters) Yeah, I know he wasn't a real boxer, but so what? It's part of the American vernacular. Stephen Benefield Birmingham, Ala.
10. "Hands of Stone" -- Roberto Duran (11 letters) Hands of Stone is my definite pick, he hits so hard there's a myth in Panama that Duran knocked out a horse by hitting it. I want to correct the Page 2 staff about that stuff that Duran was fearless until his fight with Leonard. In their first fight, Duran hit Leonard like no one hit him in his career. In the second he said "no mas" because Leonard was running around and clowning all over the ring. R. Lewis Panama City, Panama It closely resembles the truth. When he hit, one knew he was hit, as if by hands made of stone. He was arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter of his era, during a time that boasted some of the greatest fighters of all-time. Who hit harder during the late 1960s early '70s? Kevin Lynch Danbury, Conn. honorable mention: John "The Beast" Mugabi, "Raging Bull" Jake LaMotta, Mitch "Blood" Green, Hector "Macho" Camacho, Mike "The Body Snatcher" McCallum, James "Lights Out" Toney, Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins, Vinny "The Pazmanian Devil" Pazienza, Apollo "The Count of Monte Fisto" Creed, and Andrew "Six Heads" Lewis. |
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