May 27: Dick Tiger Travels from War to War Dick Tiger is among the gentlest of warriors, but he is a warrior all the way. He fought 180 seconds of every round and won a clearcut victory over Nino Benvenuti at the Garden last night. A broken right hand sustained in the first round by Benvenuti was undoubtedly of tremendous benefit to Tiger, yet the fight that Tiger fought was of the highest order--in keeping with the nature of the gentleman himself. Tiger — Richard Ihetu to his countrymen — is a 39-year-old father of eight children, ranging from a pair of 1-year-old twins to a 10-year-old. He represents the country of Biafra, which is fighting for its life in a terrible war with Nigeria. It is quite incongrouous for a man to emerge from that area at this time to be a part of the public sporting arena. Yet Tiger is here — on and off — always willing, always accomodating, always a spokesman for goodness, peace and man's humanity to man. During the fight some young men held up panphlets asking for aid for the "6,000,000 victims" in Biafra. Tiger said, "That is right. That is why I always go back home through the refugee camps to talk to the children who don't have parents. What they say in those pamphlets is true. More and more people will die if the world powers don't help." He was asked if it was incongruous for him to enjoy such eminence in the face of the situation in his country. He is a man who has made money. He has invested in theaters, apartment houses and real estate all over Nigeria and the segment of the country that is now fighting for its life as Biafra. Tiger blinked a little at the question. He said, "I've been fighting since 1952. I have investments in all those things, but I don't know what I have because of the war. It upsets me even to thnk of what I might have because I have worked so hard to get my money. I'm not ashamed of what I have gotten in the ring, because it is very hard work. If anybody is jealous of what I have gotten, then I say, 'You go into the ring to earn it.' " When Tiger goes home he will bring food for the poor. "I am a captain in the army. Everybody in Biafra is involved in the war. I volunteered for the army. I don't go the front, but I go near it to train the boys for physical fitness." His main concern, the concern of all Biafrans, is that the world powers intervene to prevent what appears to be the inexorable destruction of the Biafrans by the Nigerians in a war that makes no sense for anybody — anybody but the people who have gotten themselves enmeshed in it. How is the morale in Biafra now, he was asked. "Morale? If we don't die, we live. That is how Biafrans feel." When Tiger comes here for a fight, he goes about his business in a quiet way. Usually he lives in a hotel and trains in midtown. This time, because the hotel was undergoing repairs, he lived with some friends in Brooklyn. Every day he took the subway to Gleason's Gym in the Bronx, an hour's ride. Did he ever think of taking a taxi? "Taxis cost a lot," he said. "This city makes it easy for you to travel by subway." He moves about the second-hand shops. To some boxing people this is a sign that he is cheap. Tiger doesn't grasp what the people mean by cheap. There are goods here at a reasonable price, better goods than he could get in Biafra. It is more a source of concern to him that he can carry only so much back to Biafra with him. Tiger is a small man, with a body as hard as a firm brown nut. In the ring his face is a mass of resolve. Other times he is quick to smile. The Dick Tiger smile is memorable. It can light up a room; it can light up an arena. When he came in to the ring last night the many underdog bettors in the crowd gave him a warm greeting, and a ribbon of white creased his black face. Afterward he would say, "I hope people enjoyed themselves." His talk after a fight is not unlike his fighting — straight, unadorned, verging on the poetry of simple truth. He said, "Benvenuti is clever and he moves well. I think I was a little bit ahead of him. My plan was to keep throwing punches. (smile). In the ninth round Benvenuti had his best moments, stopping Tiger in his tracks once or twice. Victorious fighters often discount such situations. Tiger said, "Those things happen. Nobody's perfect. He got me some of the time." (smile). There was talk about a return bout with Bob Foster for the light-heavyweight championship. Tiger said "Well, he wants me to give him $100,000 to get the fight. (shrug) I haven't got it." (smile). He said, "I hope this doesn't discourage Benvenuti from fighting again because he was beaten by a good pro (smile). I was knocked out in this very ring a year ago." That knockout was by Foster in which he lost his light-heavyweight title. He said, "You know, life goes up and down."
Tiger had two more fights, retiring after losing a 10-round decision to Emile Griffith in July, 1971. He died of cancer in Nigeria in December. He was 42.
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The Fascination of a Comer 
