The beggar who fights Odysseus in Ithaca while Odysseus is disguised is Irus.
Irus is the nickname of Arnaeus, an Ithacan beggar who serves as a messenger for Penelope’s suitors. He encounters Odysseus in Book 18 of Homer’s Odyssey, not realizing that the shabby stranger is the returning king.
The confrontation begins with insults and becomes a staged boxing match after the suitor Antinous offers food and status to the winner. Odysseus briefly reveals his powerful physique, frightening Irus, then defeats him with a single blow beneath the ear. Rather than kill him, Odysseus leaves him propped against the courtyard wall.
A common mix-up is that Irus is sometimes identified primarily by his other name, Arnaeus. The name Irus is the conventional quiz answer for the beggar’s fight, while other named Ithacan figures such as Leodes and Dolius play entirely different roles.