prize fighter
Professional ring combatant
A prize fighter is a professional boxer—someone who fights for prize money.
The term evokes the sport's rougher, less regulated era, when bouts were bare-knuckle affairs and fighters competed for cash purses.
Today it sounds slightly old-fashioned but remains in use: He had the battered face of an old prize fighter.
- boxerCombat sport competitor
- pugilistProfessional fist fighter
- bare-knuckle boxingFighting without hand protection
- contenderOne competing seriously
- boxing ringRoped platform for pugilism
ring · combatant · heavyweight · welterweight · pound for pound · hook · gladiator · jab · brawler · purse · rope · canvas · sparring · cutman · throw in the towel · uppercut · weigh-in · main event
- arena fightersgladiator, scissor, velites, luchador
- fightersboxer, boxers, wrestler, Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson
- hired fightersmercenary, soldier of fortune, gun for hire, hired gun, sellsword
prize fighteramateur
Nonprofessional participant
amateur boxer · hobbyist · club fighter · weekend warrior · sparring partner
prize fighterpacifist
Anti-violence believer
pushover · weakling · peacemaker · coward · milquetoast