Dick Tiger
Nigerian boxer
ディック・タイガー · 딕 타이거
- Born
- 14 August 1929, Amaigbo
- Died
- 14 December 1971, Aba
- Citizenship
- Nigeria
- Sport
- boxing
- Discipline
- light heavyweight, middleweight
- Occupation
- boxer
- Height
- 173 cm (5 ft 8 in)
- Recorded fight record
- 59 wins, 19 losses, 3 draws
Richard Ihetu GCOI (August 14, 1929 – December 14, 1971), professionally known as Dick Tiger was a Nigerian professional boxer and former military officer of the Biafran army often regarded as one of the best boxers of the 20th century and one of the greatest boxers of his generation, Tiger held the undisputed middleweight and light-heavyweight championships making him the first African to do so. He is the first African to be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Tiger was born in Amaigbo in Imo State and later moved to Aba in 1946 at aged 17 where he began boxing while working as a market trader with his mother, he later emigrated to Liverpool, England to pursue his boxing career and later to the United States. In 1963, Tiger hosted the first-ever world boxing championship bout held on African soil at the Liberty Stadium in Ibadan, Nigeria which he won.
Awards and honours
- Sugar Ray Robinson Award 1962
- The Ring magazine Fighter of the Year 1962
- The Ring magazine Fighter of the Year 1965
- Sugar Ray Robinson Award 1966
- International Boxing Hall of Fame 1991
- Commander of the Order of the British Empire
- The Ring World Light Heavyweight Champion
- The Ring World Middleweight Champion
- WBA World Light Heavyweight Champion
- WBA World Middleweight Champion
- WBC World Light Heavyweight Champion
- WBC World Middleweight Champion
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q326938 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.