I remember hearing "palooka" used as a derogatory name for a low ranked boxer. My dictionary says it was originated prior to 1928.

palooka
n.
?: popularized by Jack Conway (died 1928), U.S. baseball player and sportswriter6 [Old Slang] a clumsy or oafish fellow, esp. an inept athlete

For more about Popeye than you really wanted to know, see this URL'

http://www.snowcrest.net/zepp/Sociology/what_i_learned_from_popeye.htm