Top 5 Nigerian boxers of all times

Nigeria is a country that is blessed with many top boxers and all through the years, many top class and world beaters have emerged from the country going on to win world titles.

Who can forget in a hurry the exploits of Bash Ali, Samuel Peters, Dick Tiger, Ike Ibeabuchi, and recently Anthony Joshua?

These are all great boxers who have placed Nigeria on the highest echelon of the pugilist trade and today, we bring you the top five Nigerian boxers of all times.

Anthony Joshua

Born on October 15, 1989, Anthony Oluwafemi Joshua is a Nigerian by birth though he has been fighting on the cards of Great Britain.

Though he lost his last fight to Mexican Ruiz Garcia, Joshua remains a hero in Nigeria and is set to reclaim his IBF, WBA and IBO titles when he takes on Garcia in a rematch in Saudi Arabia on December 10.

Samuel Okon Peters

Nicknamed the Nigerian Nightmare in his heydays, the Akwa Ibom State born former police officer was a world title holder before a series of setbacks brought his career to a halt.

Samuel Peters was able to place Nigeria on the world map of boxing when he held sway.

Peters remains a legend as far as the game of boxing is concerned considering the success he achieved during his active days in the ring game.

He rose to prominence in his early career following a string of knockout wins at a time when the titles of the heavyweight division were largely fragmented. In March 2008, Peters won a portion of the world heavyweight championship by knocking out Oleg Maskaev to win the WBC title.

Dick Tiger

Born on August 14, 1929, Dick Tiger was a Nigerian professional boxer who 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.

Tiger who died in 1971 was an ethnic Igbo and served as a soldier in the Biafran army during the Nigerian Civil War.

Bash Ali

Bashiru Ali was born on February 27, 1956 in Lagos, and started his boxing career in the United States of America in 1978.

He is the only boxer in the world to win every cruiser weight title conceivable as he has won the California title, United States Boxing Association title, North America Boxing Federation title, World Boxing International title twice and the current World Boxing Federation title which he won on September 9, 2000 when he knocked out the then champion, Terry Ray of USA.

Ike Ibeabuchi

Ikemefula Charles ‘Ike’ Ibeabuchi was born on February 2, 1973. He is a former Nigerian professional boxer who brought honours to the country. He was very active from 1994 to 1999 in the heavyweight division where he held sway.

He defeated highly ranked contender David Tua in 1997 and future world champion Chris Byrd in 1999. After compiling a record of 20–0 with 15 knockouts, Ibeabuchi was imprisoned in Las Vegas in July 1999, after submitting an Alford plea.

In November 2015, Ibeabuchi was released from the custody of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after completing his 16-year Nevada state prison sentence without incident.

He announced his desire to return to the ring to resume his professional boxing career, but was rearrested before a comeback could take place.