A Smile On The Face Of The Tiger

Joyous Nigerians overflowed the ring, and the hubbub was such that it took 10 minutes before Tiger's win could be announced officially. But Tiger's victory had never been in doubt, at least not in the minds of Chief Johnson and Zeke, the Governor-General. At the end of the fight, Zeke issued a statement to Tiger that he had had mimeographed the day before: "You have once again established your superiority as kingpin of the middleweights. Continue to be humble and charitable in your dispositions but lead a clean life to enable you to give a worthy account of yourself when occasion demands it." Then everyone went out to celebrate.

Perhaps the postfight victory parties, and Ibadan's zany week in particular, were best summed up by a poster announcing that Expensive Eddie Okunta and His Rhythm Dandies would play for a "None Stop Dance," where folks would do the High Life, a domesticated war dance done to music not unlike rock 'n' roll. The poster for the None Stop Dance advised, "Bring Your Own Dame and Avoid Disappointment."