THERE’S nothing like a good nickname to add colour, personality, and even a few extra merchandise sales to a fighter’s career. Some, like “Sugar,” are woven into the very fabric of boxing history, while others nod to a hometown connection, such as “The Brockton Blockbuster.” A little imagination goes a long way, and when a nickname overlaps – intentionally or not – with Hollywood, the spotlight shines even brighter.
Take this weekend, for example. On Saturday night in Altrincham, British and Commonwealth super-lightweight champion Jack Rafferty defends his titles against Mark Chamberlain in Queensberry’s main event. Rafferty’s moniker, fittingly enough, is also the title of a 1993 Sylvester Stallone action film co-starring Wesley Snipes.
Boxing News looks at nine other fighters whose nicknames also lit up the big screen.
(Writer’s note: order picked from my favourite film of the 10 to least favourite.)
Paul Williams – The Punisher
At his peak, Williams was considered a genuine danger to Floyd Mayweather’s throne. His career was tragically cut short by a 2012 motorbike accident that left him paralysed, but his fighting legacy lives on. Hollywood has churned out several versions of The Punisher, yet none came close to the power and menace Williams brought to the ring.
Derek Chisora – War
Chisora is all-action, inside and outside the ropes. Once the pantomime villain, he’s transformed into a fan favourite thanks to his wild style and refusal to back down. He’d be right at home in War, the 2007 shoot-’em-up starring Jet Li and Jason Statham – and you get the feeling he wouldn’t mind a sequel.
Carl Frampton – The Jackal
Calm, cold, ruthless, or ready to trade in the trenches – Frampton had the lot. The Belfast hero was one of Ireland’s greats, his career far more compelling than the limp Bruce Willis remake of The Day of the Jackal. Frampton didn’t need Hollywood; he wrote his own box-office hits in the ring.
John Ruiz – The Quiet Man
Emmanuel Steward once summed Ruiz up perfectly: “He was too passive. Too laid back.” Not the traits you’d associate with a heavyweight champion, yet Ruiz claimed a share of the crown in 2001. His cautious style wasn’t always easy on the eye – you might have had a better time watching John Wayne in the 1952 classic The Quiet Man. At least Wayne threw more punches.
Jack Rafferty – Demolition Man
With his appetite for destruction and relentless work rate, Rafferty would have fit right in alongside Sylvester Stallone’s John Spartan as he tried to bring down Wesley Snipes’ Simon Phoenix in 1993’s sci-fi romp Demolition Man. The British and Commonwealth super-lightweight champion prefers the ring to futuristic police work, but the nickname fits like a glove.
Sebastian Fundora – The Towering Inferno
At 6ft 5½in, Fundora dwarfs most super-welterweights, who need a stepladder just to stare him in the eye. The 1974 disaster epic The Towering Inferno had an all-star cast of firefighters and architects battling flames in a skyscraper – Fundora’s presence alone might have made him the perfect man to pluck survivors from the top floor.
Seniesa Estrada – Superbad
Michael Cera and Jonah Hill’s awkward teens wouldn’t have lasted a minute in the company of Seniesa Estrada. The pint-sized powerhouse, a former undisputed strawweight champion, might only be 5ft 2in, but she’d have made mincemeat of the pair before the opening credits rolled. Unlike the film, there was nothing “Superbad” about her game.
Roy Jones Jr – Superman
Jones looked superhuman long before Don King slapped the nickname “Superman” on him to promote his heavyweight challenge against John Ruiz. By then, many historians and matchmakers were already calling him the greatest fighter who ever lived. He had the speed, the power, the reflexes – all that was missing was a cape fluttering behind him on the way to the ring.
Eamonn Magee – The Terminator
He didn’t need “your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle” – Magee just came for your soul. The Belfast brawler’s real-life story could fill a Hollywood script: his Twitter bio reads, “Been shot, stabbed, beaten, exiled, jailed…” – and still he kept coming. Arnie might have had the catchphrases, but Magee had the grit to give him a run for his money.
Vasiliy Lomachenko – The Matrix
Facing Lomachenko was like stepping into another dimension. The Ukrainian genius didn’t have Keanu Reeves’ bullet-dodging powers, but it often felt like he disappeared before a punch could land. His opponents were left swiping at shadows, while fans sat bewildered, trying to process what they’d just witnessed. Like the film itself, Lomachenko left plenty baffled but everyone talking.
