Chris Byrd: "I personally think Ike (Ibeabuchi) would beat Lennox Lewis"

Interesting. Thought Tua beat him though.

 

Ike was not slow. He had pretty fast hands for a big guy. I think Ike was sizing up nicely to challenge Lewis. I think he certainly would have offered the best challenge of all the young heavies coming up. He had alot of tools, but he would have struggled trying to box with Lewis because that was the weakest part of his game. He would have had to make it a pressure fight, and Curtis Cokes was smart enough to realize that and prepare Ike accordingly.

 

Well said lefthook. :good

I just think the timeframe of when Ike could've fought Lewis isn't ideal for him to win. For instance, i think Ike could possibly beat Lewis of '96 Mercer & prior, but it would have to be Peak ('97 Tua to '99 Byrd) Ike using maximum pressure to win the close decision Mercer narrowly lost out on. If we go by Peak Ike against Peak Lewis, somewhere between '97 & '99, then i think Lennox takes a decision of 7-5 or perhaps 8-4, depending on the strategy Manny Steward gives him. As often said, the Mercer fight was a "baptism of fire" for Lewis, which improved his balance & boxing ability. However, Ike wasn't "Peak" & ready to step up in competition until '97, when Lewis had also became "Peak". In the context of "Peak" for Ike, i understand he could've still improved after '99, if not for prison, but i refer to "Peak" as the best Ibeabuchi we got to see materialise. It's a shame Ike fought two very low level guys between his fights with Tua & Byrd, because i would've liked more footage to judge him by against quality opponents.

 

Ike Ibeabuchi is a clear-cut case of serious overation..... That psycho made his rep by hammering a powerful, yet limited Tua in 1997 and smoking a weak, but savvy Byrd in 1999..... Soon after Ike decides to **** the babysitter and throw a **** fit at the pig pen where he's tazed, cuffed and tossed into a cell until he can be arraigned / charged.... Since then, he's been another proven waste of talent....

Could Ike Ibeabuchi actuallyt beat Lenny Lewis back around 2000? Sure, its possible..... BUT! If Lenny Lewis is motivated and focused like he was for "Grant & Tua" in that very year, well, no, Ike Ibeabuchi gets schooled....

MR.BILL

 

I dont see Ike winning anywhere from 97 to 99. Ike is some Ray Mercer Shannon Briggs hybrid and as good as he was i think he sits on about the same level as those guys. He most certainly couldnt box with Lewis as his defense, especially when boxing , was not up to scratch.

I dont see him pressuring with the jab the way Mercer could and even if he did he wouldnt be fighting the Lewis from the Merecr fight he would be fighting a peak Lewis.

I think Lewis takes this the distance and wins comfortably on points.

 

Ibeabuchi was a tank of a man but I don't think he had the experience needed to take out a focused Lennox Lewis, and you better believe that Lewis would have been serious against an opponent like Ibeabuchi (he was serious enough for Tua).

He had a few moves, but largely relied on his strength to beat opponents. Decently schooled but I don't think he actually had the boxing brain to out-think Lewis. Likely Lewis would remain a step ahead and use his greater reach to win and his size to tie up Ibeabuchi in close where he was most dangerous. Remember that Ibeabuchi had problems even solving David Tua's jab, and he mostly won that fight because he was in awesome condition and could throw a great amount of punches compared to the fewer, harder hits of Tua.

 

Mercer and Briggs couldnt beat Tua and they couldnt beat Byrd. Ike was better.

 

Ikey Ibeabuchi in 1997 VS Tua And in 1999 VS Byrd was a absolute BEAST!!

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ikdmiF1Cgw[/ame]


[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMhtDsHfTEk[/ame]


BUT Lenny was a beast too And a bigger beast at that! The Prezident never did fight 1 tall superheavy with teh size of Lenny Lion in all his 20 fights, so i guess Lenny Lewis by UD12 is a safe bet. Lenny would box like a master like he did do in schooling of Tua.:bbb


Foreman Hooooooooook!:hat

 

Was surprised to hear Byrd say this.

It would have been a good one that's for sure. Lewis would have had Ikes number I think though, just a higher class of fighter. The jab would have been landing all day and Ike wasn't quite the dynamite puncher he has the reputation of being.

 

You mean the HOFer that Byrd couldn't get to fight would probably get beaten by the prospect that beat him? Ahhhh...I see. :hey

 

'I think he'd beat Lennox but the Klitschko's who were about an inch or 2 taller would be too tall for him'....hmmmmmm

 

To defeat Lewis as a smaller dude, Ibeabuchi needs to bring a shitload of pressure. Ike does not have a good pressure jab like Mercer, so he would have to work harder than Mercer did with his pressuring of Lewis, and remember Mercer did not win, he only made it a very close war. Ibeabuchi did prove he could work harder than Mercer, when he set the individual record for 'Most Punches thrown in a Heavyweight fight' in history, a mental 975 punches in 12 rounds! That is a insane 81 punches average per round! Anyhow i pick Lewis by close UD in a epic war, as he is a ATG Heavy with 2x the experience of Ibeabuchi if they did have a fight in 1997, 1998 or 1999. Folks, that is my 2 cents. Feedback appreciated.

 

I would normally agree with Boxed Ears' stance on it, but that Mercer fight and how razor thin it was leads me to think Ike might actually have a decent enough chance to pull it off even if Byrd's got his own motives for making the call. He doesn't have Ray's jab, but he would've kept throwing more and was crazy enough to never stop trading regardless of who was across from him. That's not the key for longevity, but it might've been enough in a one fight scenario to spring an upset.

I happen to think Ike's overrated as hell in general, but I can't say he was much less of a fighter than 96 Mercer was- in some ways he was a little better, others a little worse. The older Lewis, boxing from the outside, would've had an easier time with him and that's the key to having a good night's work vs Ike. If Lennox kept it in the trenches, Ike's chances improve significantly.