When Elaine's son, Jason, watched Tony coaching youth boxing, he wants to get involved. Alex and Tony talk Elaine into letting Jason box, despite her better judgement. In Jason's first bout, he gets knocked out by the first punch and Elaine holds Alex responsible. Fortunately, Elaine forgives Alex eventually and Jason doesn't want to box again.
Sugar Ray's boxing subplot underperforms at 71.5, dragging down Taxi's typical character-comedy strength.
Directed by Danny DeVito · Written by Katherine Green
WAR
21.2
Wins Above Replacement
“Sugar Ray Nardo” ranks #102 of 114 Taxi episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 71.5 — Solid. The episode packs 36 scored jokes at 1.6 per minute, averaging 6.6 on craft and 6.5 on impact, with Louie landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Louie: I played violin without being called a sissy. I'd practice for an hour, then go out and punch somebody in the mouth.
Louie Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Reverend Jim: You know, there's a lot of violence in boxing. But I got some pertinent words about it. Now, boxing is wrong, it's immoral, it's bad for you. On the other hand, boxing builds character, it's a good sport, it teaches you discipline. So what I'm saying is, boxing is both good and bad.
Jim: Wait, your kid takes lessons from a hobo?
Jim: You know, I've been there. Let me give you some advice: never accept rides, always keep your belongings in a bindle, and whatever you do, stay away from the third rail.
Jim Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch Elaine: The oboe music is so beautiful it could make me cry.
Louie: Yeah, well it would make the composer cry too.
Louie Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Elaine: Boxing is appalling, disgusting, and dangerous.
Jason: Those are the same arguments you used against video games.
Jason Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback All Jokes — 36 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Louie: What do you mean 'girlie'? These are career women!
Louie: These are career professionals. This one here is a brain surgeon.
Louie Irony/Sarcasm Absurdist ★ Rewatch Jeff: Why is my mother's picture covered?
Louie: It scares me.
Louie Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Louie: What do you want from me? I'm just saying, your mother makes Phyllis Diller look like a movie star.
Louie Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Jeff: My mother is a beautiful woman.
Louie: Jeff, your mother looks like she was hit in the face with a frying pan.
Jeff: I'm talking about inner beauty.
Louie: Oh, that's even worse. That means she's ugly on the outside AND she's got a lousy personality.
Louie: Your mother? She's a saint! A living saint! I've never known a woman with such grace, such dignity, such... such perfect bone structure!
Jeff: That's more like it.
Louie Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Alex: I really need to practice my footwork.
Jim: Footwork? You should see a podiatrist about that.
Jim Character Comedy Misdirection Jim: Baby powder. That's the answer to everything.
Alex: Jim, I was refereeing at a gym.
Jim: Yeah, and? Baby powder still helps. You got friction? Baby powder. You got moisture? Baby powder. You got a crying baby? Baby powder.
Jim Character Comedy Escalation Jim: Wait, your kid takes lessons from a hobo?
Jim: You know, I've been there. Let me give you some advice: never accept rides, always keep your belongings in a bindle, and whatever you do, stay away from the third rail.
Jim Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch Tony: When a freight train is coming at you, you get off the tracks.
Tony Reaction Beat Character Comedy Louie: I played violin without being called a sissy. I'd practice for an hour, then go out and punch somebody in the mouth.
Louie Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Louie Misdirection Character Comedy Jason: Kids tease me for not playing beautifully enough.
Louie: Musical standards have risen in the neighborhood.
Louie Deadpan/Understatement Observational ★ Rewatch Elaine: The oboe music is so beautiful it could make me cry.
Louie: Yeah, well it would make the composer cry too.
Louie Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Jason: That's great, Tony. Now you can teach kids all the moves you learned getting punched in the face.
Jason Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Louie: She gave you a list of manly things to do instead of playing the oboe, didn't she?
Jason: Yeah.
Louie: Well, boxing wasn't on it.
Louie Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Jason: The cantina scene with the weird aliens.
Louie: Hey, Jason. I got something for you to show your friends.
Jason: What is it?
Louie: False teeth. Tell 'em it's from an alien.
Louie Visual Gag Character Comedy Elaine: You let them fight until they hurt each other?
Tony: No, no. We stop the fight when one of them loses their shirt.
Elaine: Why would you stop it then?
Tony: Because then I gotta wash it.
Tony Misdirection Physical/Slapstick Tony: Gregory is perfect for Jason to spar with.
Tony: Because Gregory is weak.
Tony Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Elaine: Well, if you're Bulldog, then my son is Oboe.
Elaine Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Elaine: Not overprotective? I let him box!
Elaine: What was I thinking?
Jason: Hit the showers? I've been in the ring for two minutes. What am I going to wash off — my cologne?
Jason Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Jason: I don't need a shower after ten seconds of boxing.
Tony: Yeah, well, you didn't need one before either.
Tony Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Elaine: Boxing is appalling, disgusting, and dangerous.
Jason: Those are the same arguments you used against video games.
Jason Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Reverend Jim: You know, there's a lot of violence in boxing. But I got some pertinent words about it. Now, boxing is wrong, it's immoral, it's bad for you. On the other hand, boxing builds character, it's a good sport, it teaches you discipline. So what I'm saying is, boxing is both good and bad.
Alex: Where ten-year-olds hit me, they can't do much damage.
Alex: They hit me so low, only dogs could hear my voice.
Alex Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Alex: I caught the ball and ran! I was magnificent! The crowd was going wild!
Alex: It was a tennis match.
Alex Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Alex: You know, getting tackled by the entire team... yeah, it was humiliating. But somewhere in that pile of bodies, I realized something.
Alex: They wouldn't have done that if I wasn't one of them. That's acceptance right there.
Alex Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Irony/Sarcasm Tony: You know, Jason, boxing is a great sport. You'd be really good at it.
Tony: I can see it now — you, in the ring, throwing punches...
Tony: Yeah, I'm a real salesman, aren't I?
Tony Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Father: Hangs around pool halls? No, no. I'm the one who hangs around pool halls.
Father Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Elaine: Boxing is much better than hanging around pool halls.
Father: You're absolutely right. At least when my son boxes, he's doing something constructive.
Elaine: Exactly.
Father: Unlike me. I've been hanging around pool halls for thirty years.
Elaine: Well, I blame you both equally.
Elaine Character Comedy Escalation Tony: Don't worry about Jason's broken nose. Mine's been broken six times.
Tony: See? Still works fine.
Tony Visual Gag Character Comedy Alex: A beard? Jason with a beard? Picture it: five years from now, he's living in a commune in Vermont, making goat cheese, hasn't shaved in months, has a beard down to here, wearing sandals in the snow...
Alex Absurdist Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Callback Alex: You know, Jason, after what happened, maybe you should get back into boxing. It might help you work through your trauma.
Jason: Alex, are you out of your mind? The only thing that would help me work through my trauma is never seeing the inside of a boxing ring again!
Jason Reaction Beat Character Comedy