Someone once said “What’s in a name?” Exactly who it was that coined the phrase is beyond me, although I probably should know since I quoted them, but hey! I’ll be the first to admit that I am a boxing writer, not a journalist major, and the only person I can quote accurately is Shakespeare. That is only because my wife forced me to watch "Shakespeare In Love" some years back...anyhow, enough of that and on to the topic at hand.

In sports, to become remembered throughout history, one must accomplish something big. In basketball, Michael Jordan became famous for his tremendous skill and scoring ability. In football, Joe Montana became famous for being great in the clutch and being able to win the big game under pressure.

Baseball had home run hitters Hank Aaron and Willie Mays, Hockey had Wayne Gretzky...etc. Each man became legendary for their skills. Boxing is no different of course; the most famous men have been those who have won world titles.

Just winning a world title in boxing just isn’t enough though, especially with so many variations of the belt floating around today. One must be not only a world champion, a feat in and of itself, but they must be a dominant champion to leave an impression. If a champion is not dominant, their name, more often than not, ends up lost in the shuffle of the dozens of other current or former title holders, only to be remembered when the title lineage is examined.

It seems almost unfair, doesn’t it?

Well, boxing has always had one other way for a fighter to be remembered, even a fighter who barely made it past journeyman status. The “Nickname”! More...