'I was like, 'Let's do 'The Takeover.'' She said, 'We taking over the world,'' Lopez said. In thinking of fighters like Mayweather and 'Iron' Mike Tyson, they were certain that Lopez needed something. 'I think it has a statement or a stamp on it that that is yours,' Lopez said about having a nickname. Trying to think of a catchphrase more than a nickname - something to describe Lopez's lofty career aspirations. Teofimo Lopez and his sister, Andrea, were sitting at home in Las Vegas in 2017, kicking around ideas. We spoke to some of today's fighters to understand the origins of their nicknames. 'Raging Bull' became more than a nickname for Jake LaMotta - it turned into a 1980 classic movie nominated for eight Academy Awards and nabbed Robert DeNiro the Oscar for Best Actor.

'Golden Boy' enveloped a lot of Oscar De La Hoya's persona, and became the name of his boxing promotions company. 'Money' became a way of life for Floyd Mayweather - his lifestyle brand is called 'The Money Team,' or TMT for short.

They can be used as differentiators for people with common names, and as a way to try and create excitement and brand recognition for fans. Nicknames mean different things for everyone and cover a spectrum - from the ludicrous to the meaningful, to something random that just kind of stuck. 'I think people get confused when they feel like fighters are the same person they are inside the ring as they are outside the ring. '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

Alter ego fitness