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The List: Best nicknames in boxing history
Page 2 staff

June is Nickname Month on Page 2 as we continue our search for the best monikers in all of sports.


	"Hands of Stone" met "Sugar Ray" in the "No Mas" fight.

After crowning the top nicknames in baseball, basketball, football and hockey, we now turn our attention to the ring. Boxing boasts perhaps the longest history of colorful nicknames. Check out the top 10 as voted from Page 2's editorial staff, and then examine our readers' top 10 and vote for your all-time favorite.

We'll run our readers' list Wednesday, along with a poll to pick the best boxing nickname of all-time.

1. "Hands of Stone" (Roberto "No Mas" Duran)
Small, fearless (at least, until the Leornard fight), he hit like a ton of bricks.

2. "The Hitman" (Tommy Hearns)
Hearns was also known as "The Motor City Cobra," which is a decent nickname in its own right.

3. "The Greatest" (Muhammad Ali)
As Cassius Clay, he was known as "The Louisville Lip."

4. "The Bayonne Bleeder" (Chuck Wepner)
Mediocre fighter, tough guy, great nickname.


	Once "The Louisville Lip," Muhammad Ali later became "The Greatest."

5. "The Golden Boy" (Oscar de la Hoya)
A favorite of the ladies.

6. "The Mongoose" (Archie Moore)
Mesmerizing artist in the ring, one of the great talkers outside the ring.

7. "Sugar Ray" (Robinson or Leonard)
Pound for pound, two of the sweetest who ever fought for pay.

8. "Smokin' " Joe Frazier
Though, as George Foreman once pointed out, "Somebody should tell Joe Frazier that smokin' can be hazardous to your health."

9. "The Living Death" (Lew Jenkins)
He was also known as "The Sweet Swatter from Sweetwater, Texas."

10. "The Brown Bomber" (Joe Louis)
He even had a nickname for his hapless foes: "The Bum of the Month Tour."

Also receiving votes: "Jersey Joe Walcott" (Arnold Cream), "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler, Renaldo "Mister" Snipes, Michael "Dynamite" Dokes, "The Wild Bull of the Pampas" (Luis Firpo), Bobby "No Dice" Chacon, Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, "The Undertaker" (Harry Wills), "Gentleman" Jim Corbett, "The Boston Tar Baby" (Sam Langford), Jose "Mantequilla" Napoles, "The Black Assassin" (Stanley Ketchel).

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	ALSO SEE: The List: Best nicknames in football history The List: Best nicknames in baseball history The List: Best nicknames in basketball history The List: Best nicknames in hockey history

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