Dick Tiger

About Dick Tiger

The Ring magazine named him Fighter of the Year in 1962. That same year, Dick Tiger won his first world title, a moment so significant that Premium Times would later rank it the 15th most memorable in Nigerian sports history since 1960.

Richard Ihetu was born on August 14, 1929. He would become professionally known as Dick Tiger, one of Africa's greatest contributions to professional boxing.

Tiger left Nigeria to chase his dreams in the ring. He first emigrated to Liverpool, England, then moved to the United States to pursue his boxing career at the highest level.

He held the undisputed middleweight championship. He also captured the light-heavyweight title during his career, proving he could compete and win at multiple weight classes.

The Boxing Writers Association of America named him Fighter of the Year twice, in 1962 and 1966. The Ring magazine honored him again as Fighter of the Year in 1965. In 1996, Tiger was voted as one of the best boxers of the 1960s.

Tiger was Igbo and served his country with courage during the Nigerian Civil War. He held the rank of Lieutenant in the Biafran army, where he trained soldiers in hand-to-hand combat rather than stepping into the boxing ring.

His legacy only grew after his career ended. In 1991, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. The Ring magazine voted him the 31st greatest fighter of the last 80 years in 2002. In 1998, he was included in the book of "Best boxers of the 20th Century."

Dick Tiger died on December 14, 1971. His journey from Nigeria to Liverpool to the United States to the history books remains one of boxing's greatest immigrant success stories.