Ike was not mentally stable out of the ring, but was pretty tough mentally in the ring. The major Ike fights saw him get through 12 rounds of a slugfest with Tua and he was able to figure out Chris Byrd's frustrating style of boxing and KO him. Im not going to count out Povetkin here because he has had a much more successful and longer career, but Povetkin is going to have to be on his A game to win this one.
Ibeabuchi outbrawled David Tua and beat a prime Chris Byrd quicker than Povetkin did against a shot Chris Byrd. Povetkin has a better resume and he's more proven but that could easily be because Ibeabuchi was a mental patient and his career was cut short. I'd favor Ibeabuchi, he'd not only be able to outwork Povetkin on the inside but he'd also eat his shots. That mans was a 235+ pound powerhouse for a 6'2 man and had a cast iron chin
Povetkin is more proven and would have beat Tua and did beat Byrd, and would have beat prime Byrd. Povetkin UD
Povetkin for me is better than Tua, not as powerful or as durable but he's technically far superior to Tua and remember it was a close fight between Tua and Ike and many thought Tua did enough to win. So I think Povetkin can win and I'd be hard pressed to pick against him as he's so much more proven at the top level.
When I predicted Ike would beat Tua I was ridiculed. He wont last 3 rounds was the main cry. WRONG!!! Same way with Byrd WRONG Again!!! It was tragic what happened to him to end his career. Ike would have been Champ a long time
Ibeabuchi never fought a sharp, technical inside fighter like a Povetkin. He might've been able to do well but there's really no data to draw from.
Povetkin is just better, or at least looked faster, sharper, and more intelligent in the ring. Probably around equal power, but Povetkin tended to throw a lot more KO combos
Tua was never elite. Ike still had a lot to prove. Who knows what he could have been. But he’s way overrated by people for 2 wins worth a ****.
Maybe we'll never know now. That fight was on the cards when Ike's career was ruined by that Vegas hooker