Dick Tiger boxer

Dick Tiger boxer
bouts
82
won
60
lost
19
draw
3
Status
inactive
Division
middleweight
Debut
1952-01-01
Height
5′ 8″/173cm
Reach
71″/180cm
Age
42
Born
1929-08-14
Death
1971-12-15
Nationality
Nigeria

Dick Tiger (born Richard Ihetu; August 14, 1929 – December 14, 1971) was a Nigerian-born professional boxer who held the World Middleweight and World Light Heavyweight Championships. 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.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.Tiger became a two-time undisputed world middleweight champion and helped keep boxing alive during the 1950s boxing industry recession. Tiger won the world middleweight title when he beat Gene Fullmer in 1962 and the light heavyweight title in 1966 when he dethroned José Torres of Puerto Rico.Prior to these accomplishments, however, Tiger seemed condemned to poor management and a resulting lack of exposure. In 1957, using Liverpool as his fighting base, Dick Tiger was fighting on undercards for small purses, when by fortune, facing off against popular favorite Terry Downes at Shoreditch Town Hall, he walked away with a TKO after six heats. New management saw to it certain "errors in his style" were corrected, and in another year, Tiger had taken 17 of 19 fights and won the British Middleweight title. In 1959, handled by the independent Jersey Jones, Tiger came to America, to face adversity in a whole, new way. Jersey Jones, resisting the influences of Madison Square Garden, brokered deals for Tiger by himself, which in the short run, cost them both. In an independent promotion at Edmonton, Alberta, Tiger's Empire belt was lost in a more-than questionable 15 round nod to local challenger Wilf Greaves. The decision as rendered, had first been called a draw; appalled, Jones demanded a recount of the cards, which boomeranged, showing the fight, dominated by Tiger, as a win for Greaves. Tiger, sincere and honorable in his dealings, often found this virtuous approach not reciprocated, particularly in North America.A. J. Liebling, impressed in witnessing Tiger's 1962 performance versus Henry Hank of Detroit, described the fighter's appearance thus, "... a chest like an old-fashioned black office safe, dropping away to a slender waist, big thighs, and slender legs; he boxed classically, his arms tight against his sides at the beginning of a punch, his savagely methodical blows moving in short arcs and straight lines."

Date Opponent Last Opponents' Results Place Result
1970-07-15 Emile Griffith WWLWWW Madison Square Garden, New York LOST
Unanimous decision
1969-11-14 Andy Kendall WWWLWD Madison Square Garden, New York WIN
Unanimous decision
1969-05-26 Nino Benvenuti WWWWDW Madison Square Garden, New York WIN
Unanimous decision
1968-10-25 Frank DePaula LWWWWW Madison Square Garden, New York WIN
Unanimous decision
1968-05-24 Bob Foster WWWWWW Madison Square Garden, New York LOST
KO
1967-11-17 Roger Rouse WWWWWW Convention Center, Las Vegas WIN
Technical knockout
1967-05-16 Jose Torres WWWWWL Madison Square Garden, New York WIN
Split-decision
1967-02-05 Abraham Tomica debut Mile One Park, Port Harcourt WIN
Technical knockout
1966-12-16 Jose Torres WWWWWW Madison Square Garden, New York WIN
Unanimous decision
1966-04-25 Emile Griffith WLWWWW Madison Square Garden, New York LOST
Unanimous decision
1966-02-18 Peter Mueller WWWWWL Westfalenhalle, Dortmund WIN
KO
1965-10-21 Joey Giardello WWWWWW Madison Square Garden, New York WIN
Unanimous decision
1965-05-20 Rubin Carter LLWWLW Madison Square Garden, New York WIN
Unanimous decision
1965-03-12 Juan Carlos Rivero WWLLLL Madison Square Garden, New York WIN
Technical knockout
1964-10-16 Joey Archer WWWWWW Madison Square Garden, New York LOST
Split-decision
1964-09-11 Don Fullmer LWLLDW Arena, Cleveland WIN
Unanimous decision
1964-07-31 Jose Gonzalez WWLLWW Madison Square Garden, New York WIN
Technical knockout
1963-12-07 Joey Giardello WLWWWW Convention Hall, Atlantic City LOST
Points
1963-08-10 Gene Fullmer DWWWLD Liberty Stadium, Ibadan WIN
Corner retirement
1963-02-23 Gene Fullmer WDWWWL Convention Center, Las Vegas DRAW
Points
1962-10-23 Gene Fullmer DWDWWW Candlestick Park, San Francisco WIN
Unanimous decision
1962-03-31 Henry Hank WWWDLW Madison Square Garden, New York WIN
Unanimous decision
1962-01-20 Florentino Fernandez WLWWWL Convention Center, Miami Beach WIN
Technical knockout
1961-12-16 William Pickett WWWWWW Madison Square Garden, New York WIN
Unanimous decision
1961-05-15 Hank Casey WWLWLW Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans WIN
Split-decision
1961-04-15 Spider Webb WWWWLW St. Nicholas Arena, New York WIN
KO
1961-02-18 Gene Armstrong WLWLDW Madison Square Garden, New York WIN
Technical knockout
1960-11-30 Wilf Greaves WWLLWL Edmonton Gardens, Edmonton WIN
Technical knockout
1960-06-22 Wilf Greaves WWWWLL Edmonton Gardens, Edmonton LOST
Split-decision
1960-04-01 Victor Zalazar DWLWWW Arena, Boston WIN
Majority decision
1960-02-24 Gene Armstrong WWWWLW Chicago Stadium, Chicago WIN
Unanimous decision
1959-12-30 Holly Mims LLWWLL Chicago Stadium, Chicago WIN
Majority decision
1959-11-04 Joey Giardello LLWWWL Arena, Cleveland LOST
Unanimous decision
1959-09-30 Joey Giardello LLLWWW Chicago Stadium, Chicago WIN
Unanimous decision
1959-09-02 Gene Armstrong WWWWWW Convention Hall, Camden WIN
Points
1959-07-17 Rory Calhoun WLWWLD War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse LOST
Split-decision
1959-06-05 Rory Calhoun WWLWWL Madison Square Garden, New York DRAW
Points
1959-05-12 Randy Sandy LDLWLW Empire Pool, Wembley WIN
Points
1959-03-19 Randy Sandy LLDLWL The Stadium, Liverpool LOST
Points
1958-10-14 Yolande Pompey LWDLLW Empire Pool, Wembley WIN
Points
1958-06-24 Spider Webb WWWWLW Earls Court Empress Hall, Kensington LOST
Points
1958-05-01 Billy Ellaway WWWWLW The Stadium, Liverpool WIN
Technical knockout
1958-03-27 Pat McAteer WWWDWD The Stadium, Liverpool WIN
KO
1958-02-25 Johnny Read DWWLWW Harringay Arena, Harringay WIN
KO
1958-02-03 Jimmy Lynas WLWWWW King's Hall, Belle Vue, Manchester WIN
Corner retirement
1958-01-13 Jean Ruellet LLLLWL City Hall, Hull WIN
Points
1957-11-28 Paddy Delargy WDLLLW Embassy Sportsdrome, Birmingham WIN
Technical knockout
1957-11-11 Pat McAteer WLLWWW Sophia Gardens Pavilion, Cardiff DRAW
Points
1957-10-21 Jean Claude Poisson LDLLLD Sophia Gardens Pavilion, Cardiff WIN
Points
1957-09-09 Phil Edwards WWWWWW Sophia Gardens Pavilion, Cardiff WIN
Points
1957-07-25 Alan Dean LDLLLW The Stadium, Liverpool WIN
Points
1957-07-15 Willie Armstrong LWLWLW Engineer's Club, West Hartlepool LOST
Points
1957-06-04 Marius Dori DDWWLD Harringay Arena, Harringay WIN
Technical knockout
1957-05-14 Terry Downes WW Town Hall, Shoreditch WIN
Technical knockout
1957-04-29 Johnny Read WLWDWW National Sporting Club, Piccadilly WIN
Technical knockout
1956-11-09 Alan Dean WWLLLW Tower Circus, Blackpool WIN
Points
1956-10-18 Alan Dean LWWLLL The Stadium, Liverpool LOST
Points
1956-07-02 Jimmy Lynas WWLWWW Tower Circus, Blackpool WIN
Points
1956-05-28 Wally Scott DWWWLD Engineer's Club, West Hartlepool WIN
Technical knockout
1956-05-10 Alan Dean LWLWWL The Stadium, Liverpool WIN
Points
1956-05-03 Dennis Rowley LLDLLW The Stadium, Liverpool WIN
KO
1956-03-22 George Roe LLWWWW The Stadium, Liverpool LOST
Points
1956-03-01 Jimmy Lynas DDLWWL Tower Circus, Blackpool LOST
Points
1956-01-27 Gerry McNally WWWDWW Tower Circus, Blackpool LOST
Points
1955-12-08 Alan Dean WLLWLW The Stadium, Liverpool LOST
Points
1955-08-31 Bolaji Johnson debut Glover Memorial Hall, Lagos WIN
Points
1955-05-01 John Ama debut Lagos WIN
KO
1955-01-31 Raheem Fagbemi debut Glover Memorial Hall, Lagos WIN
Points
1955-01-01 Koko Kid L Amaigbo WIN
KO
1954-11-01 Peter Okpara debut Lagos WIN
KO
1954-07-18 Super Human Power debut Rex Cinema Hall, Aba WIN
Points
1954-06-12 Mighty Joe debut Rex Cinema Hall, Aba WIN
Points
1954-02-01 Robert Nwanne debut Lagos WIN
KO
1954-01-29 Tommy West WLWW Glover Memorial Hall, Lagos LOST
Points
1953-05-20 Tommy West WLW African Tennis Club, Lagos LOST
Corner retirement
1953-02-01 Simon Eme L Lagos WIN
Points
1953-01-30 Blackie Power WW Glover Memorial Hall, Lagos WIN
Points
1953-01-01 Lion Ring debut Lagos WIN
Technical knockout
1952-12-13 Tommy West debut Rex Cinema Hall, Lagos LOST
Points
1952-10-01 Easy Dynamite debut Port Harcourt WIN
KO
1952-09-01 Koko Kid debut Port Harcourt WIN
Points
1952-01-01 Simon Eme debut Aba WIN
KO