Dick Tiger
Dick Tiger ( born September 14, 1929 in Amaigbo, Nigeria as Richard Ihetu, † December 15, 1971 ) was a Nigerian boxer and world champion of the WBA and WBC middleweight and light heavyweight.
Professional career
Dick Tiger was in 1952 in Nigeria as a middleweight professional. He moved over to the UK in 1955, where he however had great Akklimatisierungsprobleme and lost his first four fights. In 1958 he won the Commonwealth title against Patrick McAteer.
In 1959 he fought in the U.S., where he won once each for Joey Giardello and lost. It was an attack boxer with world-class chin and dreaded left hook.
In 1962 he was able to victories over the Cuban Florentino Fernandez ( KO) and Henry Hank (Tiger winning every round ) a world championship match against Gene Fullmer work. He beat Fullmer in October 1964, first on points, the rematch in February 1963 ended in a draw. With the premature victory at the third meeting in August 1964 in Nigeria, he sent him practically retired, Fullmer then ended his career.
Already in the next title defense but lost the title Tiger already back to his old rival Giardello.
After victories over genes Fullmers brother Don Rubin Carter and he took the title in October 1965 through a points victory against Giardello back. His next fight was a non- title fight in Germany against Peter Mueller, which he won by knockout in the third round.
In 1966 he was defeated finally disputed the smaller Emile Griffith and lost his middleweight title. It was his last fight at middleweight.
He rose in the light heavyweight and got right in the first fight in this weight class the chance to fight against the world champion José Torres. Tiger won in May 1967 the title by one point victory, he was at this time already 37 years old.
Nevertheless, he was against the bigger boxers in this weight class less competitive, so he went in the third title defense against Bob Foster for the first time in his career difficult KO and never boxed again for a title.
After all, he was still able to Nino Benvenuti beat clearly and Frank de Paula just for points, but stopped in 1970 after a second loss to Griffith.
1991 was Tiger induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Others
He was a sympathizer and supporter of the Biafran separatists in his home in the Biafran war. He insisted, for example, that the Biafran anthem was played before his fights. After his career, he worked as a guard at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. In July 1971 he was diagnosed with liver cancer. He returned to Nigeria, where he died on 15 December 1971 at the age of 42.