Why were there so many fighters named "Kid" back in the 20s and 30s?

Probably had at least something to do with Wild West gunfighters of the 1880s (ish) becoming popularized in movies and pulp magazines and such starting around the turn of the century.

Prominent gunfighters like Billy the Kid, Sundance Kid and others like Kid Apache and Kid Curry become part of the lexicon. Boxers were the ‘modern-day’ gunslingers of their time, more or less.

Also maybe they wanted to have all the fighters who took some form of Baby as their names to have someone older to look up to, since kids are generally considered older than babies.

 

It's actually metaphorical and symbolises the advancement of boxing in comparison to the older guys who called themselves Baby.

 

They fathered a lot of kids while travelling on the road. They were nicknamed "Kid" to remind them to send child support cheques to the hookers they impregnated.

 

Usually the moniker was attached to a fighter who started his professional career at a very young age. Back in the day, fighters started their careers in a very defined locality, so in his hometown area a fighter might have been considered a prodigy and gained a local reputation. There were scads of fight clubs scattered around the country in these localities, and a lot of them had young fighters who caught the fancy of the local fans. Ergo, it makes sense that a lot of fighters were called "Kid." If you've ever done research in the 1900-1920 newspapers, there were a lot of fighters whose first name never appeared in the newspaper's fight results. Instead, they were identified as "Young" or "Kid" so and so. This was especially true for the newspaper results of preliminary fights which often included young fighters who were making their pro debuts. A lot of guys would take a flyer at stepping into the ring, have a fight or two, and then never fight again. Things were pretty casual back then. As you suggest, I think by the 1920s the moniker "Young" had fallen out of favor and been almost totally supplanted by "Kid."

 

Hence “Grandpa” Luis Ortiz

 

The logical extension of this method of reasoning would be Charley (Tombstone) Smith.

 

But KK where do we go from there? Perhaps it’s just some fistic saṃsāra and perhaps there is grounds for “Dinosaur” Deontay Wilder… his technique reflects the notion LOL.

 

He's closer to an amoeba than a dinosaur.

 

It's code for another word spelled backwards.

 

Kid Anthony Joshua

 

Kid Carnera is my favourite fighter. I'd pick him over Bowe.

 

Maybe Deontay will be reincarnated as a dinosaur in his next life?

 

He’s better overall but H2H “Baby” Bowe probably gets the job done.