In 2009, Wii released the third installment of Punch-Out for home gaming consoles. The first two were the original (and best) Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out and the second was Super Punch-Out for Super Nintendo. This version of Punch-Out was by far the best in terms of graphics as it really brought the characters to life and allowed their personalities to shine. Punch-Out for Wii was really well received and brought back some of that nostalgic feeling of the original NES version.
In fact, all the original boxers from the Nintendo version, excluding Tyson of course, are in the 2009 Wii Punch-Out. Let’s take a look at all the characters in order of appearance starting with the Minor Circuit.
Minor Circuit Opponents
Glass Joe
Height – 5’10
Weight – 110 lbs
Country – France
Record: 1 -99
Glass Joe is a boxer from Paris, France, and is the easiest opponent in Wii Punch-Out. He has a thick french accent and greets you with a couple of “Bonjours” before you face him. When you knock him out a cascade of raining croissants hit the ring.
Von Kaiser
Height – 6’0
Weight – 144 lbs
Country – Germany
Record: 23-13
Von Kaiser is a no-nonsense boxer out of Germany. His intro song sounds very similar to the Rocky theme song. He is got one stutter step move and will dodge your punches by side-stepping you.
He is easy to beat and when you KO him he will develop a nasty egg on the top of his head and call for his mommy.
Disco Kid
Height – 6’3
Weight – 210 lbs
Country – USA
Record: 4-12
Disco Kid is a flamboyant disco-loving boxer in Wii Punch-Out. He puts on quite a show with his pre-game routine performing a special disco dance for Little Mac.
He is easy to beat and when you KO him he will develop a nasty egg on the top of his head.
King Hippo
Height – Unknown
Weight – Unknown
Country – South Pacific
Record: 18-9
King Hippo is massive in the Wii version of Punch-Out, so much so that you can barely see Little Mac. He still has the same belly weakness as he does in previous games.
When you knock him silly he will get dancing pineapples around his head, this will be your time to KO him. This match is for the Minor Circuit Title Belt.
Major Circuit Opponents
Piston Honda
Height – 6’2
Weight – 174 lbs
Country – Japan
Record: 26-1
Piston Honda is first up in the Major Circuit and is always a tough opponent in the Punch-Out series of games.
He is very respectful in this game and bows to opponents mid-match, this is of course a great time to punch his lights out. When you stun him he will get sushi rolls dancing around his ears.
Bear Hugger
Height – 6’3
Weight – 440 lbs
Country – Canada
Record: 17-12
Bear Hugger made his first appearance back in Super Punch-Out for the Super Nintendo system. He is a big, burley lumberjack from Canada. Despite his size, he is not much of a challenge. Knock him out and he will scream “Timber” while maple leaves fall from the sky.
Great Tiger
Height – 5’11
Weight – 132 lbs
Country – India
Record: 24-5
The Great Tiger is a teleporting boxer from India. He has been in every Punch-Out game to date. Because he has the ability to basically disappear at will he is a tough opponent to get the hang of.
Don Flamenco
Height – 6’1
Weight – 152 lbs
Country – Spain
Record: 22-3
Up next in Little Mac’s journey through the competition is the ladies’ man Don Flamenco. This is the title fight for the Major circuit. The suave boxer comes complete with his signature rose and perfectly styled hair. He will taunt you will an “Ole” much like the way a matador taunts a bull. He has the most dramatic TKO animation in the game and will perform a perfect fall to the mat.
World Circuit Opponents
Aran Ryan
Height – 6’1
Weight – 160 lbs
Country – Ireland
Record: 18-10
Aran Ryan the Irish boxer makes his second appearance in the Punch-Out video games, this time as the 1st opponent on the World Circuit. He’s got some really tricky (dirty) moves in the ring. My favorite is when he hops on the ropes and uses them for momentum to lounge at Little Mac.
Soda Popinski
Height – 6’6
Weight – 237 lbs
Country – Russia
Record: 33-2
Now we get into the cream of the crop for Little Mac opponents. Soda Popinski is an all-time great character dating way back to the Mike Tyson Punch-Out days. You will have to time his uppercuts and dodge every one of them in order to beat him.
Bald Bull
Height – 6’2
Weight – 298 lbs
Country – Turkey
Record: 34-4
The iconic Bald Bull finally makes his appearance in the third fight of the World Circuit. His bull charge is better than ever and looks great on screen as he backs up and charges at Little Mac full steam. You got to time the punch to his gut just right like you do in all versions of this game.
Super Macho Man
Height – 6’4
Weight – 242 lbs
Country – USA
Record: 35-1
The #1 contender on the World Circuit is Super Mach Man and no one needs to tell him how good he is as he is the most arrogant boxer in the game. He will strike multiple poses throughout the match and even gives you a butt wiggle beforehand. In order to beat him, you will have to dodge his triple clothesline punch.
Mr. Sandman
Height – 6’5
Weight – 284 lbs
Country – USA
Record: 31-0
The final bout for Little Mac in Wii Super Punch is vs the legendary Mr. Sandman. He’s one of the tallest boxers in the game with only Soda Popinski edging him out. He’s got a bit of the Hulk feel to him in this game by his voice and size. He will try to put you “Night, Night!” with his famous Dreamland Express signature move.
Secret Fight (Last Stand Mode)
Donkey Kong
Height – Unknown
Weight – Unknown
Country – Unknown
Record: Unknown
Donkey Kong makes a surprise appearance in Wii Punch-Out in the Last Stand Mode. He enters the ring through a hanging ladder that comes from the rooftop. He is extremely strong and mostly relies on counterattacks. Any one of his punches can KO you if you don’t dodge them.
Main Star
Little Mac
Height – 5’7
Weight – 107 lbs
Country – USA
The star of the entire Punch-Out video game series is, of course, Little Mac. He actually has not changed much over the years although in the Wii version he looks more chiseled and crisp. He has a slight resemblance to a street fighter character, someone like Ryu. He dressed in his usual tank top and boxing shorts attire.
