He really could have been something special has he held it together. He was 26 and he'd popped the cherry of two top 5 stalwarts. Him Vs Lewis would have been incredible, but then again he did turn down the Grant fight and absolutely lost his marbles.
And everyone else He was the great what if in boxing at the time He would easily match usyks punch out put,he has an iron chin, very strong dude, also quick. I think he would overwhelm usyk and turn it on him. He would do an usyk on usyk. His insane stamina and chin would be enough for me. He was a beast
He also stopped Byrd who was a talented defensive Southpaw. Ibeabuchi is one of the few big men who can match Usyk's workrate and still has the physical presence and power to really give him alot of trouble. The problem is Ibeabuchi was a headcase so unfortunately he would never have a long career but if you could pit him at his best against all the current Heavyweights he would have a great chance of beating all of them.
He has a YouTube channel where he posts training and sparring footage regularly. He still looks like he’s in pretty good shape but he looks every bit his age and more in sparring.
I don't know what age you are (you certainly know a lot), but I remember watching him and being majorly hyped regarding his level. He was definitely a force and it's sad how his mental shape effected which potentially could have been a great career
I'm 25 mate so he's a bit before my time but when I was in my teens I used to watch so many classic fights.
Yeah with video evidence you don't need to be around at the time to judge and like fighters I'm 40 and Duran is my favourite fighter along with Mike Tyson and I only caught the later parts of their career really. I remember thson from the late 80s, but watched as a kid with Dad and older brothers. Him and the local scene regarding Benn, Eubanks, Watson is what got me really into the sport I have watched that many old fights and some of them often, it is easy to forget I wasn't around at the time I love the history of the sport. Om previous forums I spent much less time trolling on current matters and debated more on classical content. But with many years debating history, it doesn't appeal as much to me. It feels like going over old ground lol
Ike, McCall, Tyson, and Frazier are all elderly men scheduled for a pro bout. Who the hell is in charge of giving them the green light?!?! Do people just want to see these guys die?
Going by “What if he hadn’t gone to prison”? He’d have been a legend. Hall of famer. Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion. Forums about fights against Ali, Holmes etc. Truth is he would have to get through Bowe, Lewis Mercer and a host of very good fighters of the 90’s. Would he have remained undefeated? Doubtful. Who would have beaten him? I’d say Bowe and Lewis for sure. How badly would he have been beaten? Hard to say. How would he have taken those losses? Can’t say. What about his aura of invincibility? What aura if invincibility? That’s mythical. Tyson, Liston and Foreman had that factor by actually knocking the **** out of opponents. Sometimes the opponents were beaten before the bell rang. Ibeabuchi never reached that level. Also styles makes fights and he didn’t fight long enough or enough different opponents to prove he could overcome different styles. He beat Tua. Tua beat Moorer etc. Look at Ali, Frazier, Foreman and Norton. Then Hagler, Duran, Hearns and Leonard to prove it. He can’t come back all he likes. He ain’t going nowhere. On a side note I hope he gets his ****** nasty horrible self caved in. All Listonesque stares but absolutely no evidence he’d have been a great.