Though he was released from a US prison some months back (or is it years?) there will be no ‘George Foreman- style comeback’ for the man who turns 45 years old today. Nigerian powerhouse Ikemefula Charles Ibeabuchi: how great, how special might he have become had he not lost the plot and got himself put away for the charge of attempted rape, in Las Vegas in 2009?
We will of course never know, but fans still talk, still, while somewhat in awe, about the man better known as Ike Ibeabuchi and his hugely impressive wins. In short, Ibeabuchi – a terrifying yet at the same time hugely exciting blend comprising of the menace, toughness and intimidating prowess of Sonny Liston, the raw power of George Foreman and the chin of Larry Holmes, seemed to have a clear-cut path to the world title. Instead, Ike messed up. Bad.
It is due to this ‘What If’ that still proves so tantalizing to fight fans that Ibeabuchi is still talked about, often in hushed tones, today.
After going hammer and tongs with fellow juggernaut of a puncher David Tua in the summer of 1997 – this being a truly great fight, and win, for Ike – the 24-year-old Ibeabuchi proceeded to ice the then undefeated Chris Byrd via scary-looking 5th-round TKO (Byrd was so concussed he did not even know he’d been knocked out). The path looked to be a golden one for the heavyweight puncher who also possessed a rock chin, good speed and excellent conditioning.
Alas, the mentally troubled giant soon strayed off the right path and wound up languishing in a prison cell, his considerable fighting talents left to erode; his body given no chance but to pile on excess weight. Three unsuccessful parole applications followed the conviction, before, finally, an approx 290 pound Ibeabuchi walked free. Far too late to be able to launch any comeback; hence the ‘What if’ element attached forever to this heavyweight monster’s name.
Had he carried on fighting, training and keeping himself on the straight and narrow, Ibeabuchi would have been right in the running for a big fight with either a Lennox Lewis, a Mike Tyson or maybe a Hasim Rahman type of guy. Would he have had a great shot at beating Lewis and Tyson, along with lesser champ Rahman?
At 20-0(15), Ibeabuchi, at a well conditioned 235-pounds, and being a heavyweight who had pretty much mastered the art of infighting, Ibeabuchi would have taken some beating, of that there is no doubt. But as many old timers say, boxing is around 90-percent mental. The Ike Ibeabuchi case shows this to be so true. What a shame.