A trailblazing Nigerian former professional wrestler and ex-world champion, James Oladipo Buremoh recently took his mind back to his active days as a grappler and recalled how he became known as ‘Ladi, The African Tiger,’ Sports247 reports.
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No known officially as His Royal Highness King James Oladipo Buremoh, Aroko Ola Ajagungbade 1, Onidera of Idera Kingdom in Kwara State, the Pro-Wrestling legend disclosed that he got the nickname because he needed a catchy tag to excite fans during his days in the roped square.
The first class royal father of high repute also recounted that he had been an all-round sports talent who tackled various events during his school days in Nigeria, following which he initially ventured into American football when he got to the United States, before finally settling for profesional wrestling.
He told WrestleMap’s Olusesan Olukoya: “My names are HRH Oba James Oladipo Aroko Ola Buremoh Ajagungbade 1, the Onidera of Idera, who was once upon a time was known in the professional wrestling world as ‘Ladi, the African Tiger.’
“When I first started wrestling in USA, I was introduced by my real name Oladipo, but you can imagine how a white man would pronounce that. I was asked to find a ring name that would be catchy. Finally, I settled for ‘The African Tiger’ because of my Nigerian boxing hero, Dick Tiger.
“While in school in the United States of America, I continued being active in sports, especially weightlifting, and ventured into American football upon graduation, though I did not make it to the professional cadre. So, I worked for Shell Oil in Texas, but I continued in active weightlifting.
“Being an ardent lover of professional wrestling, I never missed an event. So, one day, during a wrestling match at the Houston Coliseum in 1981, I was discovered by the wrestling legend Ernie Ladd, known as ‘The Big Cat,’ who eventually convinced me to train to become a professional wrestler.”
