'It describes your alter ego,' Claressa Shields said. Yes, other sports have players with nicknames, but in team sports it can get lost, outside of a few rare exceptions.īut in boxing, where there are only two fighters in the ring, it becomes something more - especially when it's emblazoned on a fighter's trunks. It's a descriptor that follows them throughout their career and their lives. It's what made Marvin Hagler 'Marvelous,' Ray Leonard, Ray Robinson and Shane Mosley three lumps of 'Sugar' and Muhammad Ali simply 'The Greatest.' Names are names, but a nickname is a moniker that becomes part of a fighter almost as much as the way they attack in the ring. When ring announcers welcome them at the beginning of the fight, and call them out as the winner at the end, it's all part of it.
It'll end up on giant screens and promotional posters and videos before they fight.
You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserįrom 'The Gypsy King' to 'The Takeover': Boxing's best nicknames and the stories behind them
