Boxing Gym

As a youngster, David Izegwire was enthralled by the stories his father, the police chief of Lagos, told of Dick Tiger returning as a conquering hero to his native Nigeria in 1962 after winning the world middleweight title from Gene Fullmer.And he has witnessed the adulation his countrymen display greeting Akeem Olajuwon, the Houston Rockets basketball star, whenever he visits his homeland.A dream of similar success and recognition brought Izegwire to the United States in 1986, but he was not prepared for the nightmares he would have to endure for more than a year.