The Jackal and Other Boxing Nicknames Lost in Translation

Published

6 years ago

September 8, 2017

Just like “bad” and “dope” can mean “good,” words in Spanish often take on double meanings when they’re adopted into slang or used colloquially. When boxers choose one of these words as a nickname, care must be taken when translating the nicknames into English, lest we have “dopes” being called “dummies” and “rebels” being called “puppets.”

El Chacal, the nickname used by Guillermo Rigondeaux (pictured), does indeed mean jackal, that wild animal that resembles a coyote. But it has also taken on a second meaning in Spanish-speaking communities. It means “The Boss,” as in someone who is running things, either on the streets, or, in the ring. The slang use is derived in part from the movie, Carlos el Terroista, which is based on the1970s terrorist, Carlos El Chacal, who got his name when authorities found the book, The Way of the Jackal, among his belongings. The streets have adopted the use of Chacal much the same way they adopted lingo from other movies and many who use the word do so without any knowledge of its origins. When someone calls himself Chacal, he could be inspired by the movie, or it could be his way of telling you that he’s a bad ass.

In Latin America, much like the United States, dialects and expressions have developed that are unique to specific areas. Just as someone on Fordham Road in the Bronx might not know that “tennies” refers to “kicks” or sneakers, and that pop means soda, the word Titere has different meanings depending on the region. Officially, it means puppet. But the streets have redefined the word. On the East Coast, in predominantly Puerto Rican neighborhoods, a Titere is a hoodlum, someone standing at the entrance of corner Bodegas sizing guys up for a fight and romancing passing women with vulgar remarks about their booties. Out West, in mostly Mexican and Central American communities, a Titere is an outlaw, a “gangsta.” While junior welterweight contender Miguel Vazquez might use it because of his herky-jerky style, keep in mind the next time you see a boxer introduced as “El Titere” that he might be calling himself a rebel and not one of those dolls with the goofy faces, strings tugging at their arms and legs.

Morocho is another of those words with differing regional meanings. In some parts it means dark haired, in others it’s a dish of food. In Venezuela, where former champion Carlos Hernandez was from, it means something else. Last year, when various websites reported his death, his nickname was translated as the dark-haired one. The Wikipedia entry on him explains his nickname is because of “the peculiarity of being dark-haired.” There’s nothing peculiar about dark hair in Latin America. Hernandez did have dark hair, but his nickname stems from the Venezuela definition of the word morocho, which is a name given to someone who is a twin.

Matador has become an English word, one with a very different meaning from the original Spanish definition. The word comes from matar, to kill, and means killer. In the bullfighting arena, a Matador is the last of the toreros, the one who slays the beast. He’s the one who gets all the glory, his fame, and the top billing. But a matador is part of a cuadrilla, a team of bullfighters that includes any combination of picadors, flagmen, peons, and swordsmen. The team weakens the bull for the final stage, when the killer comes out to put the animal out of its misery. When you see an aggressive fighter with a big punch from a Spanish-speaking country billed as a matador, like Jesus Chavez or Ricardo Mayorga, it makes more sense to think of the Spanish meaning, a killer, rather than a sleek boxer, such as Pernell Whitaker.

It’s not just the slang words that are lost in translation. Some nicknames don’t translate well because of usage. Take El Finito, for example. Used by the exquisite Ricardo Lopez, the name does translate as “The Fine One.” But the use of “fine” in Spanish differs greatly from the English usage. While in English, a car such as the Kia Forte, with its low price, good fuel economy, and versatile hatchback design, can be described as a fine car, in Spanish the use of fine is reserved for exotic, high-end makes such as Lambos and Ferraris. While “The Fine One” is a proper translation, it doesn’t do the fighter the same justice as it does in Spanish.

Other nicknames don’t translate well simply because they may not be Spanish. Take hard-hitting Mexican welterweight Jose “Pipino” Cuevas. His nickname, easily confused with the Spanish “pepino,” which means cucumber, was not taken after a food. It’s not even a Spanish word. Cuevas took that name as a tribute to his Italian grandfather, who was named Pipino.

Chiquita does mean little one, but it would never be used for a male or anything masculine. Humberto Gonzalez was not called that because of his height, a mistake even the LA Times made. When he turned pro, he chose to advertise his parent’s butcher shop, the little butcher shop, on his trunks. The name stuck.

So, if you ever find yourself wondering why a foreign boxer has a nickname that seems to make little sense when translated into English, consider that the true meaning might have been lost in translation. As for Rigondeax, when I reached out to a representative of his to ask about his nickname, he began by asking if I was Cuban and questioned why Cuban fighters get such little press. Some of the leading contenders in the world are Cuban, he said, citing Rigondeaux, Luis Ortiz and Erislandy Lara. They’re overlooked, he lamented, by both the press and other fighters and added that Rigo has been campaigning for a fight against Lomachenko and Ortiz has been trying to get Deontay Wilder into the ring, but, in both cases, to no avail.

Then I asked him about Rigondeaux’s nickname and if he was referring to that wild canid in the Serengeti that chews on lion and hyena scraps, or, if he meant the other meaning, the one the streets have adopted. There’s no dog in Rigondeaux is what he told me.

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Mercito Gesta Victorious Over Jojo Diaz at the Long Beach Pyramid

Published

3 days ago

March 19, 2023

David A. Avila

Mercito-Gesta-Victorious-Over-Jojo-Diaz-at-the-Long-Beach-Pyramid

LONG BEACH, CA.-Those in the know knew Mercito Gesta and Jojo Diaz would be a fight to watch and they delivered.

Gesta emerged the winner in a super lightweight clash between southpaws that saw the judges favor his busier style over Diaz’s body attack and bigger shots and win by split decision on Saturday.

Despite losing the main event because the star was overweight, Gesta (34-3-3, 17 KOs) used an outside method of tactic to edge past former world champion Diaz (32-4-1, 15 KOs) in front of more than 5,000 fans at the Pyramid.

The speedy Gesta opened up the fight with combination punching up and down against the peek-a-boo style of Diaz. For the first two rounds the San Diego fighter overwhelmed Diaz though none of the blows were impactful.

In the third round Diaz finally began unloading his own combinations and displaying the fast hands that helped him win world titles in two divisions. Gesta seemed stunned by the blows, but his chin held up. The counter right hook was Diaz’s best weapon and snapped Gesta’s head back several times.

Gesta regained control in the fifth round after absorbing big blows from Diaz. He seemed to get angry that he was hurt and opened up with even more blows to send Diaz backpedaling.

Diaz targeted his attack to Gesta’s body and that seemed to slow down Gesta. But only for a round.

From the seventh until the 10^th each fighter tried to impose their style with Gesta opening up with fast flurries and Diaz using right hooks to connect with solid shots. They continued their method of attack until the final bell. All that mattered was what the judges preferred.

After 10 rounds one judge saw Diaz the winner 97-93 but two others saw Gesta the winner 99-91, 98-92. It was a close and interesting fight.

“I was expecting nothing. I was the victor in this fight and we gave a good fight,” said Gesta. “It’s not an easy fight and Jojo gave his best.”

Diaz was surprised by the outcome but accepted the verdict.

Everything was going good. I thought I was landing good body shots,” said Diaz. “I was pretty comfortable.”

Other Bouts

Mexico’s Oscar Duarte (25-1-1, 20 KOs) knocked out Chicago’s Alex Martin (18-5, 6 KOs) with a counter right hand after dropping him earlier in the fourth round. The super lightweight fight was stopped at 1:14 of the round.

A battle between undefeated super welterweights saw Florida’s Eric Tudor (8-0, 6 KOs) emerge the winner by unanimous decision after eight rounds versus Oakland’s Damoni Cato-Cain.

The taller Tudor showed polished skill and was not bothered by a large cut on his forehead caused by an accidental clash of heads. He used his jab and lead rights to defuse the attacks of the quick-fisted southpaw Cato-Cain. The judges scored the fight 80-72 and 78-74 twice for Tudor.

San Diego’s Jorge Chavez (5-0, 4 KOs) needed less than one round to figure out Nicaragua’s Bryan Perez (12-17-1, 11 KOs) and send him into dreamland with a three-punch combination. No need to count as referee Ray Corona waved the fight over. Perez shot a vicious right followed by another right and then a see-you-later left hook at 3.00 of the first round of the super featherweight match.

Photo credit: Al Applerose

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Jojo Diaz’s Slump Continues; Mercito Gesta Prevails on a Split Decision

Published

4 days ago

March 18, 2023

Arne K. Lang

Jojo-Diaz's-Slump-Continues-Mercito-Gestra-Prevails-on-a-Split-Decision

At age 30, Jojo Diaz’s career is on the skids. The 2012 U.S. Olympian, a former world title holder at 126 and 130 pounds and an interim title holder at 135, Diaz suffered his third straight loss tonight, upset by Mercito Gesta who won a split decision at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, CA.. The scoring was strange with Gesta winning nine of the 10 rounds on one of the cards and only three rounds on another. The tie-breaker, as it were, was a 98-92 tally for Gesta and even that didn’t capture the flavor of what was a closely-contested fight.

Originally listed as a 12-rounder, the match was reduced to 10 and that, it turned out, did Diaz no favors. However, it’s hard to feel sorry for the former Olympian as he came in overweight once again, having lost his 130-pound title on the scales in February of 2021.

Diaz also has issues outside the ropes. Best elucidated by prominent boxing writer Jake Donovan, they include a cluster of legal problems stemming from an arrest for drunk driving on Feb. 27 in the LA suburb of Claremont.

With the defeat, Diaz’s ledger declined to 32-4-1. His prior losses came at the hands of Gary Russell Jr, Devin Haney, and William Zepeda, boxers who are collectively 83-2. Mercito Gesta, a 35-year-old San Diego-based Filipino, improved to 34-3-3.

Co-Feature

Chihuahua, Mexico super lightweight Oscar Duarte has now won nine straight inside the distance after stopping 33-year-old Chicago southpaw Alex Martin in the eighth frame. Duarte, the busier fighter, had Martin on the deck twice in round eight before the fight was waived off.

Duarte improved to 25-1-1 (20). Martin, who reportedly won six national titles as an amateur and was once looked upon as a promising prospect, declined to 18-5.

Other Bouts of Note

New Golden Boy signee Eric Tudor, a 21-year-old super welterweight from Fort Lauderdale, overcame a bad laceration over his right eye, the result of an accidental clash of heads in round four, to stay unbeaten, advancing to 8-0 (6) with a hard-fought unanimous 8-round decision over Oakland’s Damoni Cato-Cain. The judges had it 80-72 and 78-74 twice. It was the first pro loss for Cato-Cain (7-1-1) who had his first five fights in Tijuana.

In the DAZN opener, lanky Hawaian lightweight Dalis Kaleiopu went the distance for the first time in his young career, improving to 4-0 (3) with a unanimous decision over 36-year-old Colombian trial horse Jonathan Perez (40-35). The scores were 60-52 across the board. There were no knockdowns, but Perez, who gave up almost six inches in height, had a point deducted for a rabbit punch and another point for deducted for holding.

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‘Big Baby’ Wins the Battle of Behemoths; TKOs ‘Big Daddy’ in 6

Published

4 days ago

March 18, 2023

Arne K. Lang

Big-Baby-Wins-the-Battle-of-Behemoths-TKOs-Big-Daddy-in-6

Lucas “Big Daddy” Browne weighed in at a career-high 277 pounds for today’s battle in Dubai with Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller, but he was the lighter man by 56 pounds. It figured that one or both would gas out if the bout lasted more than a few stanzas.

It was a war of attrition with both men looking exhausted at times, and when the end came it was Miller, at age 34 the younger man by nine years, who had his hand raised.

Browne was the busier man, but Miller, whose physique invites comparison with a rhinoceros, hardly blinked as he was tattooed with an assortment of punches. He hurt ‘Bid Daddy’ in round four, but the Aussie held his own in the next frame, perhaps even forging ahead on the cards, but only postponing the inevitable.

In round six, a succession of right hands knocked Browne on the seat of his pants. He beat the count, but another barrage from Miller impelled the referee to intervene. The official time was 2:33. It was the 21^st straight win for Miller (26-0-1, 22 KOs). Browne declined to 31-4 and, for his own sake, ought not fight again. All four of his losses have come inside the distance, some brutally.

The consensus of those that caught the livestream was that Floyd Mayweather Jr’s commentary was an annoying distraction that marred what was otherwise an entertaining show.

As for what’s next for “Big Baby” Miller, that’s hard to decipher as he has burned his bridges with the sport’s most powerful promoters. One possibility is Mahmoud Charr who, like Miller, has a big gap in his boxing timeline. Now 38 years old, Charr – who has a tenuous claim on a WBA world title (don’t we all?) — has reportedly taken up residence in Dubai.

Other Bouts of Note

In a 10-round cruiserweight affair, Suslan Asbarov, a 30-year-old Russian, advanced to 4-0 (1) with a hard-fought majority decision over Brandon Glanton. The judges had it 98-92, 97-93, and a more reasonable 95-95.

Asbarov was 12-9 in documented amateur fights and 1-0 in a sanctioned bare-knuckle fight, all in Moscow, entering this match. He bears watching, however, as Glanton (18-2) would be a tough out for almost anyone in his weight class. In his previous fight, at Plant City, Florida, Glanton lost a controversial decision to David Light, an undefeated Australian who challenges WBO world title-holder Lawrence Okolie at Manchester, England next week.

A 10-round super featherweight match between former world title challengers Jono Carroll and Miguel Marriaga preceded the semi-windup. Carroll, a 30-year-old Dublin southpaw, overcame a cut over his left eye suffered in the second round to win a wide unanimous decision in a fairly entertaining fight.

It was the sixth straight win for Carroll (24-2-1, 7 KOs) who elevated his game after serving as a sparring partner for Devin Haney. Marriaga, a 36-year-old Colombian, lost for the fourth time in his last five outings, declining to 30-7.

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