Bygone monikers you prefer over their eventual replacements...

Ofttimes change is completely unnecessary.


Lucas Martin Matthysse

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: "Cold Blooded/The Reptile".

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: "The Machine". (changed around ~2010)

Downgrade, IMO. The original was just that, original. The Machine has been done, countless times, and is no more bad-ass while compromising some personality.


Takashi Uchiyama

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: The Tortoise

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: KO Dynamite (changed around late 2010)

His original emphasized his major asset of timing (in other words, the speed-killer - and the driving force behind most of his kayos, honestly, rather than raw power) and called to mind the classic Tortoise vs. Hare parable. KO Dynamite is just...cheesy.


Mike Tyson

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: "The Tank"

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: "Iron Mike" (changed in the mid-late 1980's, previously changed to "Kid Dynamite" in the early-mid mid 80's and briefly, in the early 1990's to "Mighty Mike")

There is nothing wrong per se with any of his other, more famous monikers, but the one from his amateur days remains the most aptly descriptive of his style. Most casual fans probably don't even realize that he was ever called anything but Iron Mike (with only children - or adults - of the eighties recalling his initial rise in the pros as "Kid Dynamite"- and hardly anyone likely to be aware of the short-lived "Mighty Mike" or long-buried "The Tank") - which is actually pretty unoriginal in the world of sports: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Mike_%28disambiguation%29


Lance Whitaker

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: "Mount"

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: "Goofi" (changed in late 2001 after linking up with Rock Newman)

As usual, Rock is nuts. The original was no great nickname or anything, but at least it made sense. Whitaker is a big guy. This partnership was supposed to herald a resurgence in his career but it backfired, as he was taken even less seriously as "Goofi" than he was before. (and, you know, didn't ever again become a serious contender on merit, with his only useful result in the Rock era being the somewhat flukey Ahunanya stoppage, and his best wins having come as Mount Whitaker over Barrett and Maskaev)


Floyd Mayweather Jr.

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: "Pretty Boy"

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: "Money" (changed in 2008 during 'retirement' after the knockout of Hatton)

Lame. Lame lame lame lame. Not only is the new one gaudy in such revelry of materialistic excesses and in seeming full acceptance of being a bad role model for the black American community, but the original was actually really good (a reference to a notorious gangster of the early 20th century, up there with Baby Face Nelson, John Dillinger, and Bonnie & Clyde) and his justification for changing it was bunk. He felt he was too old to go by "Pretty Boy" anymore, though you never heard Ivan Calderon say he was too old for "Iron Boy", for instance.


Emanuel Dapidran Pacquiao

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: "The Destroyer"

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: "Pac-Man" (changed around ~2004)

The original may not have been the most imaginative but it certainly evokes more awe than an innocuous (cute, even) children's video game character. :blood


Bernard Hopkins

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: "The Terror"

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: "The Alien" (changed in late 2013, previously changed to "The Executioner" around 1991)

Each change has been sillier than what came before it. His style has always been a "Terror" for opponents to deal with, at every stage of his career. The adoption of "The Executioner" after going on a run of early knockouts was a bit rash, as he didn't exactly keep that up for the lion's share of his campaign. "The Alien" is just ridiculous.


On the other hand, some have been upgrades...


Mikkel Kessler

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: "The Hitman"

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: "The Viking Warrior" (changed around 2008, previously changed to "Simply The Best" around 2006)

His original was too derivative and he never honestly stood a chance of achieving the level of international fame of Hearns or Hatton. Ripping off Eubank was even worse. TVW is unique and suits him best.


Roberto Duran

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: "Rocky"

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: "Manos Di Piedra/Hands of Stone" (changed around ~1973/74)

The world didn't need another Rocky. :-( Hands of Stone has become a sacred phrase in boxing, strongly associated with Duran's legendary career.


James Toney

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: "The Motor City Bad Boy"

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: "Lights Out" (changed around 1991)

Another guy biting Hearns. Toney even tried imitating Hearns' mannerisms, embarrassingly, before deciding to just be his own colorful self. Of course, "Lights Out" connotes more of a KO artist than he would remain for much of his career (like Hopkins with "The Executioner") but it was nonetheless a big improvement.

 

As of when I made this old thread on him in 2010:

http://www.boxingforum24.com/showthread.php?t=227631

I had translated from a Japanese article that called him that.

 

wut

 

That was only temporary, from the period of '86 until '88 when 6 of his nine stoppage victims happened to be Mexicans. (Bejines, Zambrano, Fuentes, Arredondo, Aceves, & Gonzalez)

Kind of like Tyson switching from "Iron Mike" to "Mighty Mike" for the Ruddock rivalry and then back again.