How good was Dick Tiger?

quite good

 

great, not someone to brawl with in the main

 

Great. He put on methodical pressure and liked to counter opponents with big punches. Brawling with him usually did not end well, in fact never did, but he could be outpointed because of his economical footwork and workrate. He could still outpoint the best of them as shown against Giardello, Benvenuti and Torres.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh9JE2EsTlg[/ame]

 

ATG Middleweight, and a quality 175lber too.

Not to be underestimated, and ****ing nails as well.

 

Tiger's early career in Nigeria is sketchy at best. But if an African prospect were to go to England today and lose his first four in a row, he'd be dropped like a hot rock without even a plane ticket home.

 

Arguably the strongest MW ever. Not the best ever MW, but among the top 10 and I see no MW in history being able to KO him or slug with him and come out on the winning end. Among the finer 175 lbers. as well.
Simultaneously, while winning titles at multiple weights, he fought in the Biafran Revolution in his homeland of Nigeria. A warrior in the truest sense, like Contra fighter Arguello.

 

Tiger-Lamotta would be a war. Two strongest middleweights of all time with incredible work rates and chins.

 

Tiger was, I thought, slow on his feet, sometimes robotic and lacking in finishing ability. In front of a smart boxer he often looked befuddled.

That said, he was immensely strong, possessed exceptional durability, endurance and determination, and had some of the quickest hands of any middleweight - particularly for a power puncher.

On Tiger's power... It was excessive, but not according to his knockout percentage. As mentioned, his lack of finishing ability and slow feet (or economical footwork, whichever way you describe it) attributed to this, at least in my opinion, because otherwise he was a demon if you were in range. Though he could pounce on wounded prey, perhaps he lacked the accuracy or ingenuity to find the right shots to end the night...

... But he'd still bust you up. Simply put, Tiger was a true elite in one field - brawling. There's not one middleweight I'd choose to out slug him, bar Rodrigo Valdez and Jake LaMotta who'd be 50/50 and nothing more. That's something.

Adding to Tiger's dominant physical prowess was a tight defence - he wasn't necessarily skilled at slipping and countering in a Roberto Duran sense, however, his method of attacking made him slippery or at worst a very tough shell to break. Typically, Tiger would attack with technically sound and poweful hooks from both sides, ducking in between, then resuming a solid guard and balanced feet as returned shots bounced right off him. A deceptive jab often opened up opponents.

I think really that unless you were crafty or fleet footed enough to avoid his shots and land your own, Tiger would beat you. Any kind of 160lbs brawler I can imagine would likely be decimated - if not the victim of a knockout, then the victim of a very hurtful experience. Even so, his work rate and determination overcame some very savvy boxers, so I wouldn't be confident choosing anyone over him, much less even the greatest come-forward punchers.

Tiger battered a very rugged era of middleweights.

 

A definitive 'no' would be my answer.

Hagler was a good infighter in his own right, owing to his comprehensive grasp of all boxing skills including body punching, uppercutting, hooking and defending on the inside. Even so, Tiger hit every bit as hard and matched him for durability, stamina and heart, but had the extra speed and strength to have Hagler backing up.

I don't think there'd be a choice for Hagler in how he could fight Tiger. He'd be forced to assume the role of boxer-mover.

 

His fight with Henry Hank is among the best in Middleweight history. You'll be amazed simply based on the fact that both men are standing by the end. Both men took some (or more appropriately, a lot) of ferocious shots. Hank was a huge puncher, too. Tiger just could not be ousted in that type of fight, no matter who was in front of him. A true tank of a fighter if ever there was one.

 

The first fight I ever watched on t.v. That hook Foster hit him with almost took his head off. I think he was middle and lightheavy champ, so he must have been very good at the least.

 

No, I'm sure fighters with four losses in a row still get a lot of work in England.