Dick Tiger | |
|---|---|
 Dick Tiger (left) with Nino Benvenuti in 1969 | |
| Born | Richard Ihetu August 14, 1929 |
| Died | December 14, 1971 (aged 42) Aba, Nigeria |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Statistics | |
| Weight class | |
| Height | 172 cm (5 ft 8 in) |
| Reach | 71 in (180 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 82 |
| Wins | 60 |
| Wins by KO | 27 |
| Losses | 19 |
| Draws | 3 |
Richard Ihetu (August 14, 1929 – December 14, 1971), professionally known as Dick Tiger was a Nigerian professional boxer who held the undisputed middleweight and light-heavyweight championships.[1]
Tiger emigrated to Liverpool, England to pursue his boxing career and later to the United States. Tiger was Igbo and served as a Lieutenant in the Biafran army during the Nigerian Civil War, primarily training soldiers in hand-to-hand combat.[2]
Tiger was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991. The Ring magazine named him Fighter of the Year in 1962 and 1965, while the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) named him Fighter of the Year in 1962 and 1966. In 1996, Tiger was voted as one of the best boxers of the 1960s, The later in 1998, Tiger was put in the book of "Best boxers of the 20th Century". In 2002, Tiger was voted by The Ring magazine as the 31st greatest fighter of the last 80 years.[3] His first world title win in 1962 was ranked the 15th most memorable moment in Nigerian sports history since 1960 by Premium Times in 2020, the highest ranked combat sports-related moment.[4]
- ^ "The Lineal Boxing World Champions". The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
- ^ Rogak, Larry (2005). You Don't Know Dick!: An Onomastic Reference Compendium. iUniverse. p. 80. ISBN 0-595-35433-5.
- ^ Andrew Eisele. "Ring Magazine's 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years". About.com Sports. Archived from the original on 2017-01-08. Retrieved 2017-12-25.
- ^ "60 noteworthy Nigerian sporting moments since 1960". Premium Times. October 11, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2023.