BOXERS from Nigeria

Top 2

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Nigerian Boxers of all time. This list of famous Nigerian Boxers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Samuel Peter (1980 - )

With an HPI of 32.91, Samuel Peter is the most famous Nigerian Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages on wikipedia.

Samuel Okon Peter (born September 6, 1980) is a Nigerian professional boxer. He held the WBC heavyweight title in 2008, when he stopped Oleg Maskaev in six rounds. In his prime, he was known for his rivalry with the Klitschko brothers, having faced Wladimir twice (in 2005 and 2010) and Vitali once. Peter was named among the 20 greatest athletes in the history of independent Nigeria by The Punch in 2023, while his capturing of the WBC heavyweight title was ranked the 26th most memorable moment in independent Nigeria's sports history by Premium Times in 2020. He was ranked by The Ring among ten best heavyweights at the conclusion of a year from 2005 to 2008, reaching his highest ranking of world No.2 in 2007. Peter is known for his punching power and holds a 78.9% knockout-to-win ratio.

2. Peter Konyegwachie (1965 - )

With an HPI of 22.04, Peter Konyegwachie is the 2nd most famous Nigerian Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Peter Konyegwachie (MON born 26 November 1965 in Lagos) was a Nigerian boxer. He hails from Ogwashi-Uku. The town that also produced another sport (football) great, Austin "Jay Jay" Okocha. The town is the headquarters of Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria. He attended Adaigbo Secondary School. At the 1984 Summer Olympics he won Nigeria's first ever silver medal in the men's Featherweight (54–57 kg) category. Konyegwachie became professional in 1986 and won his first 15 fights prior to getting stopped by a journeyman in 1990. He retired after the bout at 15-1-0.