Herakles as Pugilist

This head was originally a part of a statue that depicted Herakles, the Greek hero, as a pugilist (a boxer). Herakles was the biggest of Greek heroes, an Olympian champion and also Zeus’s illegitimate son, as his mother was a mortal woman Alcmene. The boy was therefore hated by Hera. In modern references, he is more often known as Hercules, based on the Roman version of his name.