Sport
Peerless
Dick Tiger
1929 – 1971
Two-weight world champion, Fighter of the Year over Ali and Liston, and the first African in the Boxing Hall of Fame
Peerless is level 1 of 4 in the Nigeria Hall of Fame: changed the field itself. Tell the country's story without them and the story breaks. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
World middleweight champion in 1962 and light heavyweight champion in 1966. Ring Magazine named him Fighter of the Year ahead of Sonny Liston, Emile Griffith, Carlos Ortiz and Muhammad Ali. He lost everything backing Biafra and died at forty-two.
Richard Ihetu, who fought as Dick Tiger, was born at Amaigbo in Orlu on 14 August 1929 and learned to box from British officers stationed in Nigeria.
He turned professional at home in 1952, won the Nigerian middleweight title and moved to England in 1955, where he lost his first four fights before transforming himself — knocking out Pat McAteer in March 1958 to take the British Commonwealth middleweight title. He beat Gene Fullmer in October 1962 for the world middleweight championship, and in 1966 dethroned José Torres for the light heavyweight title. Ring Magazine made him Fighter of the Year in 1962, ahead of Liston, Griffith, Ortiz and Muhammad Ali.
He supported Biafra during the civil war and had his property confiscated as a result, returning his MBE to the Queen in protest at British backing for the federal side. He died of cancer in 1971, aged forty-two, and was the first African inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
He turned professional at home in 1952, won the Nigerian middleweight title and moved to England in 1955, where he lost his first four fights before transforming himself — knocking out Pat McAteer in March 1958 to take the British Commonwealth middleweight title. He beat Gene Fullmer in October 1962 for the world middleweight championship, and in 1966 dethroned José Torres for the light heavyweight title. Ring Magazine made him Fighter of the Year in 1962, ahead of Liston, Griffith, Ortiz and Muhammad Ali.
He supported Biafra during the civil war and had his property confiscated as a result, returning his MBE to the Queen in protest at British backing for the federal side. He died of cancer in 1971, aged forty-two, and was the first African inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
- Wikipedia — Dick Tiger
- Britannica — Dick Tiger
- Nigeria Book of Records — Richard Ihetu, first African inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame
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