Ike Ibeabuchi returns to the ring today (Dec. 7)

Bizarre stuff, but Ike's entire career and life seemed to be like that.

 

I have said it before: i don't want to see guys in their 50's licensed and get hurt. But you know what? I will gladly make an exception for Ike. The guy is an utter scumbag for how he injured that poor child. I can't wish anything nice on him.

 

Apparently there were more sexual assault cases than the incident with the hooker that we heard about. That is what led to his re-arrest following his release in 2015. He immediately did something that violated the terms of his parol from another incident, or something. I may have it a bit convoluted.

 

Here's a NY Daily News article on (some of) Ike's psychiatric & criminal history. Back before the internet became so prevalent in our lives, this kind of info was not readily accessible by the general public & was only vaguely alluded to during HBO broadcasts:

"Ibeabuchi Gives Boxing A Black Eye
BY MICHAEL KATZ
Friday, March 05, 1999
A WEDDING BAND on a sparring partner's left hand ignited the latest case of a heavyweight boxer acting, well, let's say "strangely."

To the list of Mike Tyson, Oliver McCall, Andrew Golota, add Ike (The President) Ibeabuchi.

Never mind that the incident led to two assault accusations. Ibeabuchi is scheduled to fight March 20 on HBO, and the show must go on.

The same voices that decried McCall going straight from rehab to a crying jag in the ring against Lennox Lewis now insist Ibeabuchi suffered[sic?] can still face Chris Byrd as scheduled in Washington state.

Ibeabuchi, 26, an undefeated Nigerian, seems to have it all. He's 6-2, 240, strong. But his promoter, Cedric Kushner, described Ibeabuchi as "manic depressive." Stephen Munisteri, the Houston lawyer who manages him, said the fighter was "severely depressed."

Maybe, Munisteri said, Ibeabuchi was "worried a $300,000 payday was about to go out the door" when he got cut while sparring Feb. 18 with Ezra Sellers.

Sellers is 17-3, mostly as a cruiserweight. Like Byrd, he's small, quick and lefthanded, the reason he was brought in. Sellers said he was frustrating the Nigerian, and the sparring in an old Phoenix gym was getting more animated when he stopped.

"Whoa, you're cut," Sellers told Ibeabuchi.

There was a nick on the left eyelid that would take four stitches. Sellers removed his gloves and was having the tape cut from his left hand by Jay Wilson, an assistant to Ibeabuchi's head trainer, Curtis Cokes. During an interruption, Sellers retrieved his wedding ring from his gym bag and went over to apologize.

Ibeabuchi spotted the ring and accused Sellers of intentionally cutting him. Next thing, Sellers said, Ibeabuchi kicked him in the right knee.

"As I was falling, I grabbed him and he wound up on top of me, straddling me, and he was punching my head and then he was choking me, and finally they pulled him off me," Sellers said. "I said, 'Your own trainer wrapped my hand,' and that sent him off after (Wilson)."

Sellers left the gym to find a policeman. That's when he realized he couldn't walk and took a cab instead to a hospital. He was told to forget a March 12 boxing date because of torn knee ligaments.

After leaving the hospital, he filed charges. So did Wilson.

A former Kushner matchmaker, Bill Benton, was dispatched by the promoter and HBO to check on Ibeabuchi. Benton said the Sellers incident was "just a gym skirmish."

Maybe it could be dismissed as that if it weren't for Ibeabuchi's history. In 1997, he drove 70 mph into a wall. Ibeabuchi escaped with scrapes, but a teenager in the car still suffers from seizures, Munisteri said.

Ibeabuchi reportedly believed someone maybe "demons" was chasing him. "To this day," Munisteri said, "Ike doesn't remember what happened."

After a brief imprisonment, Ibeabuchi moved from Texas to the Phoenix area with his mother, who had traveled from Nigeria.

About three weeks ago, Kushner said the mother called to complain that "demons" were trying to poison the Ibeabuchis through the air conditioning.

"Turn off the air conditioning," Kushner told her.

Munisteri said Ibeabuchi has not been on any anti-depressants, which can lead to violent mood shifts if their use is interrupted.

Benton swore "there's nothing wrong, mentally or physically.""

 

I guess we'll get a look at Jake Paul's next opponent tonite.

 

I've been following his YT channel "Ikemefula Ibeabuchi",he already planned this long ago,he also thinks he can beat Usyk. not even Archie Moore or Roberto Duràn is this crazy...

 

Could be risky for Paul - Ike’s a bit young at age 50. Also, I don’t know if Ike would be sufficiently reliable to fight according to the pre fight script. He’s just another “President” who behaves erratically.

 

Any news on the fight? 0155 in Nigeria, so it should have happened.

 

Where are we expected to watch this fight anyway?I can't find it anywhere

 

I can’t find anything either. Checked boxrec but the outcome still has a question mark. Perhaps it was cancelled - possibly due to Ike being, you know, Ike?

 

I’ll check twitter.

 

It’s later in the month, about two more weeks.