Tomato can

In boxing, kickboxing or mixed martial arts, "tomato can" or simply "tomato" or "can" is an idiom for a fighter with poor or diminished skills (at least when compared with the opponent they are placed against) who may be considered an easy opponent to defeat, or a "guaranteed win." Fights with "tomato cans" can be arranged to inflate the win total of a professional fighter. Similarly, a fighter whose record consists of wins over easy opponents is referred to as a "can crusher". The phrase originates in the childhood pastime of kicking a can down the street—a boxer is advancing his career with minimal effort by defeating a "tomato can" and notching a win. "Tomato" refers to blood: "knock a tomato can over, and red stuff spills out."

A "tomato can" is usually a fighter with a poor record, whose skills are substandard or who lacks toughness or has a "glass chin." Sometimes a formerly successful boxer who is past his prime and who has seen his skills diminish is considered a "tomato can" if he can no longer compete at a high level. Such an individual is an attractive opponent if his name still carries prestige but his diminished skills make him an easy conquest. When referring to a distinguished fighter, opponents with passable careers who simply aren't at the same level can also be considered "tomato cans". Most fighters who are considered "tomato cans" are heavyweights, because at lower weight classes one must maintain a certain level of fitness in order to make weight, whereas a heavyweight who once fought at a trim 205 pounds could conceivably gain 150 pounds and still fight in the same division.

One characteristic which may account for the use of the "tomato can" metaphor for a bad boxer is the tendency to leak "tomato juice" (i.e., blood) when battered.

"Tomato cans" are similar to jobbers in professional wrestling in that they serve to enhance the stature of someone the promotion uses to draw a crowd.

Victory over a "tomato can" is not a certainty. Journeyman boxers generally regarded as "tomato cans" have been known to provide surprising challenges to champions and in several instances, cause shocking upsets against supposedly superior opponents.

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