Nicknames that worked as first names

Baby Arizmendi - Alberto Arizmendi

 

El Terrible Erik Morales.

 

That Jamaican thing always confused me too. We had the 3 Bunny's back in the day. Grant, Sterling and Johnson. I always figured they were their actual names until I saw that Bunny Grant's actual name was Leslie. So not sure on this either.

 

Boots Ennis

 

Your post made me think of Boots Monroe, a top-rated featherweight from the ‘60s. Also I thought of Toluco Lopez and Halimi Gutierrez. Many Mexicans went simply by their nickname. I recall once talking to Rafael Herrera and asking him who he sparred with when he was fighting on the west coast. He mentioned a few, whom I knew, but then mentioned El Coloradito Lopez. I was thinking to myself, now who’s that, when I remembered Danny’Little Red’ Lopez was known to the Mexican populace by that name.

 

Sugar Ray Robinson

 

In Puerto Rico as a kid: Bazooka Gomez
Marvelous , Marvin Hagler actually made it officially his first name lol
Also in Puerto Rico at least: "Hammer" Roldan.

 

Bolillo Gonzalez (Carlos Gonzalez)
Yori Boy Campas (Ramon Campas)

 

Bunny Johnson

 

Good examples.

Some nicks are so solidly maintained that you either didn’t even know their real name in the first instance or due to lack of usage, you’ve forgotten their real first names over time.

Nothing too startling but going in the way back machine:

“Jack” - John Arthur Johnson
“Jack” - Charles Jeffries
“Jack” - William Harrison Dempsey
“Jeff” - James (Jeff)ries

A little bit more recent: -

“Buddy” - Jacob Henry Baer

 

Tiger Flowers
Young Stribling
Fritzie Zivic
Bummy Davis
Spider Pladner

 

That’s a big carrot to dangle - a hare raising battle indeed - duly promoted by Frank “Rabbits” Warren.

Referee? Why, Eddie Cottontail, of course.

Apologies in advance, I’ll just hop on out now...