Ike ibeabuchi

He defeated the previously undefeated highly ranked contender David Tua in and another highly ike ibeabuchi contender and future world champion Chris Byrd in He was ranked by BoxRec as the world's No. After a series of run-ins with law enforcement, he was imprisoned in Las Vegas in Julyafter submitting an Alford plea for charges on sexual misconduct. This also marked the end of his professional boxing career, ike ibeabuchi.

I was an Ike Ibeabuchi fan the moment I watched his battle with David Tua on a pirated video I ordered from a classified ad in the back of Boxing Monthly magazine. The Nigerian powerhouse seemed to have everything needed to win the heavyweight title — except mental stability. A few years after he was jailed for battery and sexual assault, I decided to go digging in search of the real Ike Ibeabuchi, aiming to discover what built and then broke the man who had the boxing world at his feet after he destroyed Chris Byrd in While researching the book that would become President of Pandemonium: The Mad World of Ike Ibeabuchi , I spoke to thirty people who knew Ike — including those who fought him, managed him, advised him and reported on him. I discovered that some thought he was insane, while others thought he was more sinned against than sinner. W hen I spoke to Ike Ibeabuchi on a February afternoon in , he could scarcely believe he was free.

Ike ibeabuchi

A young boy slugs his way out of a third world ghetto and into the pro boxing stratosphere, only to fall victim to mental illness, depravity, and what some have labeled "demonic possession. As a boy in Nigeria, Ike was exposed to boxing, but he was also exposed to poverty, crime, hopelessness, and a glaring lack of education. In he was able to immigrate with his mother to Dallas, Texas, where it did not take him long to hook up with the House of Champions Gym and former welterweight star Curtis Cokes. Cokes saw potential in the sizable young heavyweight, and was proven right when Ike became a Golden Gloves champion in the space of a year. Ike turned pro shortly thereafter, impressing everyone with his strength, hand speed, and out-and-out skill. This highly anticipated clash of undefeated heavies did not disappoint. In fact, it set a record for the number of punches thrown in a heavyweight fight. Against all odds, Ibeabuchi triumphed by majority decision. It should have been his finest hour, not the beginning of the end. Yet, clearly, Ike was never the same after this fight. Had he taken too many of Tua's heavy left hooks to the head? Or, as some folks claim, had one specific shot -administered by Tua at some point in the middle rounds - done the damage? For the first time ever, Ike was complaining of head pain after a bout. A MRI scan, however, revealed nothing out of the ordinary. Whether or not the epic slugfest with Tua was to blame, Ike Ibeabuchi was fast becoming unglued.

All rights reserved. Months after the Tua fight, Ibeabuchi kidnapped the year-old son of his ex-girlfriend and crashed his car into a concrete pillar on ike ibeabuchi Texas highway, ike ibeabuchi. A few years after he was jailed ike ibeabuchi battery and sexual assault, I decided to go digging in search of the real Ike Ibeabuchi, aiming to discover what built and then broke the man who had the boxing world at his feet after he destroyed Chris Byrd in

A former fighter who was tipped to become the next Mike Tyson instead served 20 years in jail after a series of personal issues sent his troubled life spiralling out of control. Ike Ibeabuchi retired in with an undefeated record but that is only half the story of the man they nicknamed 'The President'. The Nigerian became the most talked about fighter in his division when he extended his record to 17 straight wins in June against David Tua in an epic contest for the WBC International Heavyweight title. Tua had come into the fight with a record of his own but after the congregation witnessed the most punches ever thrown in a heavyweight contest 1, , it was Ibeabuchi who returned a unanimous verdict, elevating him to world title contender. But shortly after that landmark victory, the prospective champion's serious mental health problems caught up with him.

Instead, Ibeabuchi has spent most of the last 24 years in jail, consumed by his own demons and delusions. Ike still sports the 15 KOs record he built as a professional. By , he believed he genuinely was the president, that he was the victim of an international conspiracy and that his air conditioning was possessed by evil spirits. It all came to a head when Ibeabuchi trapped a Las Vegas call girl in a closet in his hotel room, barricaded himself in the bathroom and only surrendered to police when pepper spray was discharged under the door. After a short but successful amateur career, winning a Texas Golden Gloves title, Ibeabuchi turned pro and racked up a record. But it was his 17th fight that put Ike on the map.

Ike ibeabuchi

Chances are pretty good that, if you asked a fight fan to name a hugely talented heavyweight of the last 20 or 30 years who never went as far as their considerable talents made it look as though they would go, the name Ike Ibeabuchi would pop right up. Ibeabuchi, who thrilled fans with his slugfest of a win over an unbeaten David Tua and who then scored a genuinely scary KO over a slick Chris Byrd, seemed to be the whole package. Athletic, powerful, in great shape with stamina to burn, Ibeabuchi also had a rock for a chin and fine fundamentals. Indeed, the Nigerian warrior did seem to have it all. Everything aside from a sound mind. We all know the Ibeabuchi story; how he has to his name, unfortunately, a long list of crimes and misdemeanours. Crimes Ike was jailed for just as he was closing in on a shot at the world title.

Abby berner onlyfans

Boxing record. When he was arrested a previous sexual assault case was reopened against him and despite medics initially deeming him not fit to face trial on the grounds he was bipolar, he was eventually handed multiple jail sentences. Why do you want to know where I live? In July , Ibeabuchi was staying at The Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas when he phoned a local escort service and had a woman sent to his room. Martin Lopez. After kidnapping his estranged girlfriend's year-old son, he drove his car head-first into a tree with the boy in the passenger seat. One thunderous left hook in the fifth round had Byrd down twice, and a subsequent barrage of power punches prompted the referee to put an end to the fight. By the Numbers. US Edition. DBD: Division by division: bantamweight to strawweight. Yet the warning signs of his inner turmoil were only getting more alarming. DBD: H Division by division: heavyweight to super middleweight. After a short but successful amateur career, winning a Texas Golden Gloves title, Ibeabuchi turned pro and racked up a record. Ibeabuchi subsequently entered an Alford plea , pleading guilty while not admitting guilt to avoid going to trial. Both men displayed iron chins and remarkable engines as they engaged in a back-and-forth thriller which set a new CompuBox record for punches thrown in a heavyweight fight: a combined 1, blows.

He defeated highly ranked contender David Tua in and future world champion Chris Byrd in After compiling a record of 20—0 with 15 knockouts, Ibeabuchi was imprisoned in Las Vegas in July , after submitting an Alford plea.

Don't miss Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions. A few months after the Tua fight, Ike abducted the son of a former girlfriend, threw him into his car, and drove straight into a concrete pillar, permanently injuring the poor boy. Ibeabuchi was deemed incompetent to stand trial and was sent to a state facility. They are reasonably confident that he will be out in six months to a year, despite his being anything but a model prisoner. DBD: Voting statistics How each panelist ranked their division-by-division best. To me that is an insult, so I have to redeem myself. They knew it! The views and opinions of all writers expressed on eastsideboxing. Out of the harsh and dehumanizing experience of an ICE detention center, or the sterile menace of a maximum-security prison, Ibeabuchi could now enjoy the unbroken sight of winter sunshine and the soft breeze blowing in from the desert. Amid this optimistic defiance, however, one question got a somewhat different reaction.