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==Vitals==
 Height: 5Ft 8in
 Thigh: 20in
 Weight: 158 to 168pds
 Calf: 15in
 Reach: 71in
 Biceps: 13in
 Chest: 381/2in (Normal)
 Chest: 40in (Expanded)
 Forearm:11in
 Fist: 11in
 Waist: 32in
 Wrist: 7in
 Neck: 17in
 Ankle: 10in
 
 


Richard Dick Tiger Ihetu (August 14, 1929 -
December 14 1971) was a boxer from Amaigbo, Orlu,
Nigeria, was a migrant fighter to Liverpool (and
later to United States|America). Tiger was a
talented boxer, commercial venturer, and Biafran
rebel. His boxing career record was: Fought 81;
Won 60; Lost 18; Drew 3.
	
Dick Tiger was one of the great fighters to come
out of the African continent. Tiger became a
two-time undisputed world middleweight titlist.
Tiger helped keep boxing alive during the 1950s
boxing industry recession. Tiger earned an
undisputed Light-Heavyweight world championship.
In 1962, Tiger won the world middle weight boxing
championship. Tiger inspired other Nigerians to go
into boxing. 

Tiger was an "in-house fighter" at New York City's
Madison Square Garden. 

Tiger developed a portfolio of investments before
the outbreak of his homeland's civil war.
Supporter of the Biafran secession, Tiger's
propaganda and financial support of this cause
cost him much. Tiger had received a Order of the
British Empire|CBE from Elizabeth II of the United
Kingdom|Queen Elizabeth II, but he returned it as
a protest for what he perceived as a lack of
support by Great Britain to the Biafran cause. 

Tiger fought some of boxing's best fighters, such
as Terry Downes. knocked out in six by Tiger early
in Tiger's career, Gene Fullmer, from whom he took
the world's Middleweight title by decision in
fifteen, drew (tied) in fifteen and knocked out in
seven rounds, retaining his belt the two latter
times; Joey Giardello, against whom he split four
fights, including losing the title by decision in
their third encounter and then regaining it in
their fourth, Emile Griffith, to whom he lost the
world Middleweight title on points, Jose Torres,
against whom he won the world Light-Heavyweight
title by decision in fifteen and retained it, once
again by decision in 15, Nino Benvenuti, defeated
in ten rounds by decision by Tiger, and Bob
Foster, the only man to knock Tiger out, in four
rounds at the Madison Square Garden, to mark the
end of Tiger's days as world champion.

After retiring from boxing, Tiger worked as a
guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Arts in New
York, but one day, he felt a strong pain in his
back. Tested by doctors, he was diagnosed with
liver cancer. Tiger had been banned by the
Nigerian government in his country because of his
involvement in the Biafran movement; however, the
ban was lifted immediately after news about his
condition arrived in Nigeria. Tiger travelled back
to his country, where he died in 1971, at the
relatively young age of 42.

During a November 1, 2003, HBO Boxing transmission
of the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Phillip N'Dou world
title fight, Home Box Office|HBO analyst Larry
Merchant, perhaps trying to call Tiger one of the
greatest African boxers of all time, inadvertedly
included Tiger in a list of greatest South
Africa|South African boxers of all time.

A book about Tiger's life is on the works and
scheduled to be released sometime in 2004.

==External links==
* Emeagwali, Philip,
"http://emeagwali.com/photos/dick-tiger/photo-essa
y-on-dick-tiger.htm DICK TIGER: Photo Essay"
*hometown.aol.com/adeyinkamakinde/page6.html DICK
TIGER WEBPAGES