In Africa's Honor
Dick Tiger versus Gene Fullmer III—A Blast from Nigeria’s Glorious Past
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Act Six Scene Four
Narrator #3: The campaign for Nigeria to host the World Championship begins to gather a lot of steam and has morphed into a demonstration of national pride and a patriotic duty. In the streets of Lagos, Nigeria, members of the “Fight-At-Home” team, made up of editors from various national newspapers, carry placards publicizing their demands. The spokesperson stands on a makeshift podium to address the crowd of onlookers that are gathering. Some plaques read: “FIGHT AT HOME, NOW!” others read, “PRESTIGE FOR NIGERIA, NOW!” while some read, “COME TO NATIONS RESCUE, BALEWA!” And some, “Fullmer VS. TIGER, IN NIGERIA!” Their efforts did not go unnoticed, as members of the public join in to voice their desires to the powers that be. Groups are pitted against each other, but with the majority of the public now convinced that the country is ready to stage a world title event.
At a popular street, in Lagos
Spokesperson for the Fight-At-Home Campaign Committee: (Audaciously) Fellow Nigerians, we salute you! We ask that you please join us in the crusade to pull our country from the grips of universal humiliations, skepticism and innuendos about our potentials and integrity as a people. Let us arrest the looming darkness by bringing light! (Clapping) Nigeria has already produced two world champion boxers in Hogan Bassey and Dick Tiger, yet none of them has had the opportunity to display their skills before their countrymen, in their country of Nigeria. (Stretching his hands towards the audience) Is that fair? (Echoes “No!”. “No!”) Now, our son, the great Dick Tiger, is one of the principals in another world middleweight boxing championship bout. We want our son to bring his partners and the rest of the world to the shores of Africa; to our beloved country of Nigeria! (Applause) We are not brutes or cannibals. We are not barbaric. We do not live on trees, and yes, we may have some mud huts, but we also have some palace-styled mansions. (Echoes “Yes!” “Yes!”) Let us invite the world to host a world championship event on our shores, in Africa. Let us show the world, courtesy of our son, Dick Tiger, that Africans are as versatile and as endowed as the rest of the human race! (Thunderous applause. He pauses) We are grateful for the democracy that we have in our country, which accords opposing viewpoints the same leverage. (Incredulously) That bunch, would rather it happen in another country, far away from the African shores! They call it (Exaggerating), a waste of municipal funds? Prodigal? A homicidal game? (Louder) They miss the mark! (Applause. He pauses and continues) the privilege to host this match of epic proportions is invaluable! (Wagging his index finger from left to right) No amount of money can buy the level of respect, prestige, or honor that this show will bring to Nigeria and Africa, in general! If the critics are sincere that our govt. need not guarantee the fight, then they should promptly commence their own campaign to ensure a full house for the fight! (Leaning forward) Let us bring this epic match to our country, Nigeria! (The crowd which now has more than doubled in size applauds the spokesperson and begins chanting, while waving fists in the air) “FIGHT AT HOME!” “FIGHT AT HOME!” “FIGHT AT HOME!”
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
In the era of the American Civil Rights Movement, and barely three years after Africa’s most populous nation celebrated her independence from colonial rule, the Nigerian government brought her full weight to bear in a world championship title bout—the first ever in Black Africa. The Dick Tiger vs. Gene Fullmer III fight, held in Liberty Stadium in Ibadan, Nigeria, on August 10, 1963, was a forerunner for all the big fights in the African continent. Westerners didn’t believe that a newly independent African nation could dare muster the audacity, or financial backbone, to stage a world championship event.
In Africa’s Honor chronicles this groundbreaking fight while narrating the details of Richard (Dick Tiger) Ihetu’s life in and out of the boxing ring. Presented as a play by Justina Ihetu, Dick Tiger’s daughter, and complete with archival photos, this drama showcases the patriotism and heroism of a boxer who had an inauspicious beginning.
Ihetu provides insight into the wheeling and dealing behind the match, and she humanizes the principle players—laying bare their innermost thoughts and anxieties to help form a deeper understanding of the character, and circumstances that reveal Africa’s promise, of unity, dignity, and honor.
About the Author
Justina Ihetu is Dick Tiger’s daughter. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Belmont University, Nashville, Tennessee and a Masters degree in Reading, from Brooklyn College, New York. She is currently a reading specialist and has worked in the school system for more than two decades. Justina also oversees the Dick Tiger Foundation Inc., a charitable organization instituted to promote Dick Tiger’s legacy of altruism and self-development. She lives in New York with her two children, Alexis and Daniel.