Anybody can beat Glass Joe, but some supers could easily go toe-to-toe with Mr. Dream himself! Welcome to Ten Things: Ten Boxers!
Whooshman-Bicarbonate Films, in conjunction with An Amateur Comics Historian and Rocky Balboooooaaaaaaaa, Presents:

TEN THINGS: TEN BOXERS!

10) ROCKY DAVIS

After a strange plane crash left four men miraculously unharmed, they decided to use their “borrowed time” to have adventures and make the world a better place. Though he competed in the Olympics as a wrestler, Rocky Davis (whose real name has been given as both Lester and Leslie) was also a skilled boxer, using his physical strength to give the Challengers of the Unknown a little extra oomph when needed. Created by Jack Kirby circa 1958, the Challengers bore a striking resemblance to another Kirby quartet, with Rocky strongly resembling our #9 entry.

9) THE THING

Growing up on Yancy Street made Benjamin J. Grimm skilled in various forms of combat. More than just a street brawler, he spent hours in the gym during his college days working a speed bag, and boxing to stay in shape for his football career. So skilled is he in the ring that he stood up to the Elder of the Universe called The Champion, who eventually forfeited their boxing match because he could not overcome Ben’s indomitable will. When a cosmic being who only cares about winning gives up rather than kill a man, you know that man is something special.

8) TIGER FORCE

A former heavyweight champion, Tiger Force is in truth Golden Gloves champ Mike Tempest (which, let’s be honest, sounds just as fake) and was once almost convinced to throw a bout by gangsters who wanted to profit off his loss. Though he refused, Tiger was savagely beaten and went into hiding, where he was recruited by the mysterious Mockingbird for his Secret Six. With the threat of Mafia reprisal hanging over his head, Mike/Tiger used his punching skills in Mockingbird’s employ until the orders mysteriously stopped coming in.

That’s when things got REALLY weird…

7) JAB

Though he is clearly the laziest of the Bolton brothers, Clint Bolton nonetheless spent much of his free time in the gym boxing. It served him well when he and his siblings were genetically altered into shark/human hybrid creatures, with Clint even taking his nom de guerre from his love of the sweet science. Since he’s now partly hammerhead shark, Jab has a tendency to attack with his skull, and can somehow swim through concrete like it was water. Just remember: There wasn’t any third season.

That was all a huge internet hoax.

6) IRON MAN 

While many modern fans only know Happy Hogan as Jon Favreau (and wonder how he scored the attention of Marisa Tom-Aunt-Mei), Harold Hogan was one of the original supporting cast members of Iron Man’s comic back in ’63. A former professional boxer, Happy earned his ironic nickname for the sad face that he always seemed to have in the ring, eventually retiring to become the chauffeur/bodyguard of industrialist Tony Stark. In that role, Happy was privy to his employer’s dual identity, occasionally doubling for him when Tony and Iron Man had to be in the same place at the same time. Some years later, Happy’s armor experience allowed him to assist Jim Rhodes in battling the giant robot Ultimo, but he was eventually killed due to his proximity to Tony.

5) POWERHOUSE PEPPER

A tiny man who is nonetheless a formidable presence in the ring, Powerhouse (no other name given) is remarkably, perhaps even superhumanly strong. Despite his prowess, though, he is best known for being a kind, decent human being, using his power and his command of the language to great effect. Last seen in Atlas Comics circa 1948, Powerhouse is at least technically part of the Marvel Universe, thanks to the nearly non-existent continuity of Joker Comics back in the day. His visuals bear the inimitable stamp of legendary artist Basil Wolverton.

4) WILDCAT

Inspired in-universe by the debut of Green Lantern, Ted Grant created his own costumed identity to fight crime after his boxing mentor was killed by criminals. Using the nickname he gained for his ferocity in the ring, Wildcat occasionally teamed up with the Justice Society, becoming a regular member of the team after their revival in the Silver Age of comics. With the removal of the Earth-2 Batman from continuity, Wildcat has mostly taken up the role of “guy with no super-powers who gets by on chutzpah and guts,” serving to train many younger heroes in the ways of combat.

3) VANESSA

After the death of her husband at the hands of a secret nefarious organization, Vanessa (full name unrevealed) took up boxing and joined up with her late husband’s former employers, a spy agency. She was sent undercover into the legendary King of Fighters tournament, where her pugilistic prowess served her well. Unlike the teens, tweens, and other young folks, Vanessa took pride in being over thirty and reminded her opponents that she was a mother as she pummeled their faces. Though she’s the first woman to win the tournament, she has somehow kept her extracurricular activities secret from her family which is both admirable and kind of disturbing.

Loving the tie, though.

2) GHOST RIDER

Though he was a schoolteacher by trade, Carter Slade was no pushover or wilting, shy schoolmarm. A former boxing champion, he intervened in an attempt by settlers to frame the local Native American tribe for various crimes, using his knowledge of science (or what passed for it in the 1850s) to pretend to be a ghost. As the first Ghost Rider ever (recent retcons by Jason Aaron notwithstanding), Carter started a tradition of ghostly gunfighters that included his descendants Hamilton and Jaime Slade and his jerkass brother Lincoln, about whom the less said the better.

1) BIBBO

A former boxing champion, “Bibbo” Bibbowski (first name unrevealed) parlayed his limited fame into a career as a dock worker, which now that I mention it isn’t really a parlay at all. Encountering Superman in his favorite bar, Bibbo swung on the Man of Steel, who earned his respect for sheer toughness. Transformed into Big Blue’s number one fan, Bibbo eventually won the lottery and bought the Ace O’ Clubs himself, running the dive bar as a tribute to his “fav’rit” hero, and protecting the people of Suicide Slum in his own unique way. What he lacks in smarts, Bibbo more than makes up in courage, making him one of Superman’s most loyal allies for years.

Once again, this week’s topic, Ten Boxers, is all me, but feel free to follow @MightyKingCobra to suggest a topic of your own! There’s always more Ten Things madness on my Twitter or check out the full Twitter archive here! As with any set of like items, these aren’t meant to be hard and fast or absolutely complete, if only because superheroes have to learn to fight somewhere. Either way, the comments section is below for just such an emergency, but, as always: Please, no wagering!

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