Boxing in Nigeria Hall of Fame
Dick Tiger was a professional Nigerian boxer born on the 14th day of August 1929 in Amaigbo, Orlu in Imo State Nigeria and died on the 14th December 1971. He held the title as World Champion in Middleweight and World Light Heavyweight.
He was formally admitted to the International Boxing Hall of Fames in 1991 as he was also referred to as the Fighter of the Year by Boxing Writers Association of Nigeria and the Ring magazine in the 1960s.
In 1962, Tiger won the title as the world middleweight champion after he defeated an American professional boxer and a world middleweight champion, Lawrence Gene Fullmer. He also represented the country in America and other foreign countries as well.
The total number of fights he faced when he was alive was estimated at 82 which among them he won 60 and lost 19 whereas the remaining other three ended in a draw.
Anthony Konyegwachie is a professional Nigerian boxer that hails from Ogwashi-Uku in Anambra state Nigeria. He was born on the 26th of November 1965, in Lagos. In 1982, he won an award in the Commonwealth Boxing Champions in Men's Featherweight.
He also won the country the first ever silver medal in the category of men's Featherweight (54 57kg) during the 1984 Summer Olympics.
Anthony became a professional boxer in 1986, the same year that he won the first 15 fights and thereafter he retired some years after. Presently, he is the Head Coach of Nigeria Boxing Federation (NBF).
Obisia Nwakpa is a Nigerian professional boxer that specialises in light welterweight boxing and was born on the 9th day of October 1954. He is one of the old Nigerian boxers who participated around the 1970s where he won the title as Nigerian lightweight boxer of the year, and in the 1980s as African Boxing Union light welterweight and in the 1990s won the Commonwealth lightweight title as well.
Obisia won a gold medal after he defeated Issake of Niger in the lightweight competition at the 2nd edition of All-Africa Games 1973 held in Lagos from January 7th to January 18th. Similarly, he won another gold medal in the lightweight category during the British Commonwealth Games held in Christchurch, Newzealand in 1974 after he defeated Anthony Martey of Ghana in the final.
He competed in the total of 29 fights in which he lost only 6 and 23. He was one of the Nigerian professional fighters and a challenger for World Boxing Council.
Bash Ali is one of the well-known world boxing champions produced by Nigeria. He was born on the 27th of February, 1956 in the city of Lagos state Nigeria.
Ali has won several titles in local and international boxing tournaments, he won the United States Boxing Association Cruiserweight Title on the 3rd of December, 1980; the USA California State Cruiserweight Title on the 12th September, 1984.
His other titles include the African Boxing Union Heavyweight Title, Nigerian Heavyweight Title, WBC International Cruiserweight Title and NABF Cruiserweight Title which he won on different occasions.
Hogan Bassey was born on the 3rd June 1932 to the family of Okon Asuquo Bassey, he was a Nigerian-British boxer born who originated from Cross River State and died on 26 January 1998 in Apapa, Lagos, Nigeria.
He was addressed as or nickname Kid Bassey as when he became professional in boxing; he was mentored and trained by George Biddles and also Jimmy August who helped him to achieve his dreams in becoming a professional boxer.
In his pursuit of a better career, Bassey travelled to the city of Liverpool in 1952 after contesting for several boxing competitions in Nigeria. He strived hard to become one of the best boxers, and after he had left Nigeria for a greener pasture he won the Empire featherweight championship, and not only that, he also defeated French Algerian Cherif Hamia in the year 1957 in Paris to win the World Crown.
In 1959, he got the award of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire with respect to his world title win which made him became a coach in Nigeria years after. In 1973, he was awarded the country's highest honour and he kept on winning awards in the World Featherweight Title and Commonwealth until he gave up in 1998.
Wale Omotoso also was known as Lucky Boy as the nickname and is a Nigerian professional boxer that currently participates in the welterweight division. He was born on 6th of May 1985, in the city of Lagos. Wale discovered his career on the street where he learnt how to fight and from their picked up boxing as his profession.
He has engaged in the total number of 48 fights which he won 47 and lost only one of the fights. The competition between Wale and King Davidson who is currently boxing in Australia was one of the toughest fights he experienced.
Wale signed with a boxing promotion company in Las Vegas Nevada, Top Rank Inc and is currently trained and controlled by an American boxing trainer Freddie Roach at Wildcard Gym in Los Angeles, California. He is currently residing in Oxnard, California USA.
Isaac Ekpo popularly known as Grenade is a Nigerian Olympic boxer who is presently participating as a role model in the super welterweight boxing division. Ekpo was born on the 22nd of October 1982 in the city of Abuja, FCT Nigeria, and his height measures 1.83m tall.
He joined the Nigerian Olympic team in 2004 when he was engaged in a fight with Utkirbek Haydarov, a Uzbekistani boxer (in 81kg weight) who competed in the light heavyweight during the course of the fight, he was defeated by Utkirbek in the first round.
Ekpo has engaged in the total number of 34 fights in which he lost only 3 out of them and won 31.
Otto Joseph A.K.A Joe Boy is a member of Team Nigeria boxing born in 1994, in Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria. He was born into a family of five; among them were 2 girls and other three boys including Otto.
He has O'level qualification in Education and was an Okada rider before he discovered his talent in boxing. Otto started as a boxer when his picked interest from his brother who was a boxer and then began to grow in the field.
His recognition started in Lagos when he was chosen by a professional coach, Joe Mensah to play in the Monthly Boxing Hall of Fame at Rowe Park. In 2012, he won a gold medal at the National Sports Festival in Lagos. He represented Nigeria in World Boxing Championship in Kazakhstan in 2013 also in 2014 at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
He is always following the models of Mike Tyson and Segun Ajose. Currently, he is a national lightweight boxing champion, a three-time best boxer at the GOtv Boxing Night. He has won prices on several occasions and he represents Nigeria at the Commonwealth Games and World Championships up to date.
Stanley Eribor is a Nigerian boxer that was born on the 16th day of October 1989 in the town of Benin City Edo, Nigeria. His birth name is Igbinovia Stanley Johnson Ogbemudia but he is always known as Stanley Eribo.
His appearance in boxing tournament started on the 3rd of February, 2012. He is currently competing in the welterweight division. Additionally, he won the title in 2015.
Larry Ekundayo alias "The Natural" is one of the professional boxers recognized in Nigerian and African at large. He was born on the 13th of June 1982 in the city of Lagos, Nigeria and resides in Stoke Newington, London, United Kingdom.
He is currently the African Boxing Union Welterweight Champion and is today known with different titles such as a Light Middle Prizefighter Winner including also Welterweight International Masters Title holder, and undefeated boxing sensation.
Samuel Peters (Samuel Okon Peter) is a Nigerian-American boxer that was born on 6th of September 1980 in Akwa Ibom, State Nigeria. Peter once held the title of World Boxing heavyweight title during the year 2008.
Samuel Peter became a popular boxer after his competition with Ukrainian heavyweight boxers, Klitschko brothers (but once with Vitali Klitschko, the brother to Wladimir Klitschko collectively called Klitschko brothers) and Wladimir Wladimirowitsch Klitschko twice in 2015 and 2010.
He has been engaged in a total of 42 fights in which he won 36 out of them and lost only 6. He has also won many titles such as the one of March 2008, when he won the WBC title in the world heavyweight championship by defeating Oleg Maskaev.
Olaide Fijabi always addressed by his nickname 'Fijaborn' is a well-known boxer and a Nigeria’s super lightweight current champion that holds the National light welterweight boxing champion.
Fijaborn as he is fondly called by friends, fans and opponents have been maintaining unbeaten records in the boxing profession. He is currently participating in GOtv Boxing Night and in his pursuits targeting the continental title after he had won the West Africa light welterweight title.
