Every sport has it's share of athletes with unusual nicknames. Many of the reasons for their nicknames would be a story in themselves. No matter what sport a man is involved in, most nicknames upon them bestower Tend to be masculine in nature. Other nicknames are picked up by some unusual habit or talent that the athlete might posses. It seems it's just a part of sporting history to give a nickname favorite sports heroes. In most cases, it's a way of expressing the kinship others feel for the player. In some cases, you have to wonder how in the world to nickname was thought of. When I read lists of sporting nicknames, I often feel sorry for some of the athletes that have to go through their careers carrying them around with those names. Some are obviously meant to be funny and were surely given by close friends or family that could get away with such a thing. Other silly nicknames are given with good intention but you still have to almost feel sorry for the guy that has to live with it. It's in a spirit of fun that I'm going to give you my personal list of the five worst Boxing Nicknames. 5. Butterbean / Eric Scott Esch: I know about Butterbean from speaking about him with my father. It seems the reason that I was given this nickname is that his body was shaped sort of like a butter bean. It's one of those names that was given by someone that surely meant well but I can not help but giggle over a grown man boxing with that name. I do not have any statistics on his career, but just the fact that I have made it a career to box with that name proves to me I must be a pretty tough guy. 4. Baby / Joe Mesi: When my brothers or sisters called me a baby, it was almost a sure way to get me to cry. Being called a baby by friends or family was definitely an insult to anyone that grew up in my neighborhood. Boxer Joe Mesi is one that does not seem to be negatively affected at all by his unusual nickname. With thirty six wins, zero losses, and twenty nine knockouts, I'd say being called baby has not bothered him much. 3. Darnell "The Ding A Ling Man" Wilson: If you have not already started humming the tune Chuck Berry, My Ding a ling, you might not have as of a warped sense of humor as my friends and myself. When looking at lists of names boxing and thinking about my choices for this article, I ran across this name and found myself humming the song instantly. The few friends I mentioned the name to did exactly the same thing. It's still got me smiling to think that someone actually has a boxing career with this nickname. The name not only has me humming the tune, it also has given me a strange craving to buy a box of ding dongs. It easily ranks number three in my list of the top five worst boxing nicknames.2. Ronald "Winky" Wright: The Closer I Get to the top of my list, the easier it is to choose the worst nicknames. Winky is just so feminine and funny that I actually feel almost sorry for the guy. I say almost Because he has an outstanding boxing record. With fifty one wins, five losses, one draw, and twenty five knockouts, Winky seems to be handling his nickname totally fine. I still would not give a nickname like Winky to anyone but my goofiest friend. 1. Jerry "Wimpy" Halstead: There is not a whole lot I can say about this name without having to hold my belly to keep my laughter from hurting. I can not imagine who would give a boxing athlete a nickname like Wimpy. Just saying the name makes me want to eat a very large burger that I would gladly pay for next Tuesday. It's with a huge smile and an honest sense of humor that I tip my hat to Wimpy and proudly place him at my number one spot for the worst nicknames in boxing history. As easy as it might be to feel sorry for some of these guys, I really do. In all honestly, I admire each and every one of them for being athletes that were able to beat the odds of making it as far as they did and doing it all with a nickname heavy to carry. I see them all as a great bunch of men involved in the great sport of boxing. They've provided many people of the pleasure of watching them at their sport and given many people a giggle over their nicknames at the same time. Source: http://boxing.about.com/

