‘I Like Ike!’ was the slogan 1950s president Dwight D. Eisenhower used as he campaigned for office, and that was a heck of a long time ago. Last night, another Ike from a different era returned to public life; to the boxing ring. For the first time in 26 years. Ike Ibeabuchi – who you may or may not like, while you may or may not like his chances of getting any place of significance in his comeback – fought in Lagos last night, and he stopped countryman Idris Afinni via third-round corner retirement.
26 years is a long, long time (half of Ibeabuchi’s life) and yet the heavyweight who looked set for possible domination back in the late 1990s refused to give up on his dream of fighting again, and now his dream has come true. But how far can the 52 year old possibly go? Certainly not as far as challenging for the world title, which is what “The President,” to use Ibeabuchi’s ’90s ring nickname, called for after making Afinni quit.
Ibeabuchi Calls Out Usyk in a Surreal Move
Yes, Ibeabuchi called out Oleksandr Usyk!
“I want to fight Usyk,” a tired but victorious Ibeabuchi declared after what was his first fight since March of 1999. “I want to fight Usyk for the championship. I’m 21-0 with 16 knockouts. Why can’t he fight me? I was top ten before him. If Usyk wants me to fight more, I will fight more, I love to fight. But I want him before time elapses.”
Time has already elapsed, and Ike could be given plenty of answers to his “why can’t [Usyk] fight me?” question. The fight would never, ever be sanctioned for a start, and Usyk, as he closes in on retirement, has far more important fights to take.
The Comeback Nobody Saw Coming
Still, it’s easy to fall into the trap of rooting for Ibeabuchi, as he comes across with passion and incredible self-belief. We cannot, however, forget the awful crimes Ike committed back when his boxing career came to an end over a quarter of a century ago. Ibeabuchi really did lose his mind, and he was jailed for battery with intent to commit a crime, and for attempted sexual assault. For a time, it seemed Ibeabuchi would never again be a free man, certainly not one armed with a boxing licence. But Ibeabuchi wouldn’t give up, and last night, before a small crowd of curiosity-seekers, the old slugger, fighting mostly from memory, thumped out some decent body shots and he forced his opponent to call it a day after nine-minutes of action.
Ibeabuchi was happy with his performance and with his win, and to be fair, for a man of 52 he does look to be in good physical condition. However, if the comeback is to continue, it will likely be the Senior’s Circuit for Ibeabuchi. If – and it could prove to be a massive if – he can get permission to box in the US, maybe we could see Ibeabuchi fight the likes of Oliver McCall, Shannon Briggs, or Razor Ruddock.
You can bet your bottom dollar there are some promoters somewhere who are plotting such matchups.
For now, Ike Ibeabuchi is 1-0(1) in his surreal and crazy comeback.
