Everyone talks about what Vitali could have done.. why not talk about Ike Ibeabuchi?

This was supposed to be a reply to the Vitali KO% thread, but it got long and got off track from the original topic. Plus, I don't want to bump another 5 page Vitali thread.

Most Vitali fans are delusional.. they look at his KO% and think that it should impact his legacy as a great HW in a big way. The fact is that there is way too much hype for Vitali, who didn't accomplish a lot for the short time that he was fighting at the top. He got injured, and unless he has some kind of a spectacular comeback, his legacy is that he was a huge HW who had a great KO % and looked like a future star, but never got a win against an elite fighter. Maybe if he didn't waste his first 4 years and 25+ fights with **** fighters in Germany, he could have had some more time for big fights against top HW's. There's no point in hyping Vitali up now and talking about what he could have done, you can only look at what he actually accomplished in his career and judge him off that. No what-ifs.

What I find really funny, but also pretty sad is that there are tons of posts about Vitali and what he could have been and discussions about what he did all the time all over the internet, but almost no discussions about an undefeated fighter who was impressive as hell and had his career cut short too. At just 24 years old, Ike Ibeabuchi took a huge risk and stepped up to fight the undefeated, dangerous David Tua and beat him easily over 12 rounds after previously only having two fights that went over 6 rounds in his career. Three matches later, he took on an even bigger risk, fighting the undefeated Chris Byrd, who was a very difficult boxer to fight against, especially without any experience against any even semi-good defensive boxers. Ibeabuchi knocked Byrd out in 5 rounds. The same Byrd who Vitali couldn't connect a big punch with and ended up losing against. Ibeabuchi had everything. Great power. (the only opponents he didn't KO were two guys during his first 4 fights at 21 years old, 2 guys with A+ chins - Tua/Wilson, and Wade. Amazing stamina/workrate. Titanium chin. Great jab. Great combinations. Solid and improving technical skills. Plus, he was huge physically at only 6'2.

I can sit here and talk about Ibeabuchi all day and the great things he did in his career that was cut short and what he could have been but I don't, because I'm not delusional and I can accept the fact that his legacy is just winning 2 big fights against very difficult risky opponents, never winning a title, and ending up in jail. Vitali fans can't. People love to talk what-ifs about Vitali but never talk about Ibeabuchi and what he did and could have done. Why? It's simple. He didn't build up a huge fanbase before stepping up in class, so nobody nuthugs him, says things like he would UD Ali and Louis, or even care about him in general. If Vitali Klitschko knocked out 25 bums in Germany, then went on to beat the undefeated Tua with a wide UD and KO undefeated Byrd in 5, then retire at (27-0 with 26KO) because of injuries, people would still be talking about him today all the time.

There could be a case made that Ibeabuchi could have accomplished everything that Vitali accomplished and that he was a better fighter. There could be a case made that Vitali could have beaten Lennox and become a great champion for years to come. But none of these things happened. What-ifs and excuses for losses shouldn't make a boxers legacy better. What they actually did do should. Vitali fans need to accept this and stop the constant hype.

 

because The President is a crazy ******

 

I think this is basically right. Ike is an awful person, and its hard to root for him. Not only the ****, but crippling that poor child in the car...

Point taken about Vitaly, though. A lot of guys could have been great. Ike, Golata, Page, Quarry, Witherspoon, John Tate, Tyrell Biggs, Riddick Bowe...

You could name dozens of guys who had the talent.

 

İke İbeabuchi done his career

 

Personal life aside, Ibeabuchi has accomplished a lot even though too early in his career. Gave both prime Tua and Byrd their first losses and was on his way to become champion(whether you agree or not). Ibeabuchi was powerful and definitely had skills to give Lewis/Tyson/Holyfield HELL had they met.

 

Vitali's shining moment in the sport was more recent than Ike's, is the only conclusion I can come to.

As far as my opinion on Ibeabuchi, I am an absolute believer than he was something special. There's no doubt in my mind that he would've been a champion at some point. But there's not really much else you can say that hasn't already been said about him, and while he may not be so talked about on the general discussion, you'll definitely see his name being brought up often in the classic boxing forum. So I think Ike, in his short time in the sport, has definitely left a good enough mark that people remember who he was.... but even if he were to get paroled soon and made a comeback, he would never be what he was. He's just gonna go down in time was someone who could've been.

 

Ike is a POS ******.

Who gives a crap would he "could have" been.. because he's currently nothing but a convicted ******.

 

Ibeabuchi gets overrated imo. He would have been a formidable challenge had he progressed his career, but he had wide arching shots and his overall skill level is not as impressive imo as some may want to believe. Imo Byrd has been overrated for at least the tail of his career and was not rated that highly before that. The Tua victory was impressive, but not by a big margin.

 

.

 

Deserves a lot of respect for going toe to toe with Tua and comming out on top in what most people see as Tuas' greatest performance, Vitali definitely doesn't have a win that good on his resume.

 

Prime Chris Byrd > Anyone Vitali has ever beaten
Prime David Tua > Anyone Vitali has ever beaten



"Bu...bu...bu...but Vitali was winning before he lost" :roll:

 

wladimir absolutely murdered byrd TWICE...during his prime and post prime......so what does that tell you?

 

That you're talking about a totally different Klitschko.

 

have you actually seen that fight ?...
Both of them were throwing bombs back&forth for the entire fight and most people actually felt that Tua should have gotten a close decision.

 

There are plenty of people that talk about Ike. I really don't see too many people that talk about what Vitali "could have done" anyways. I see people talk about what he has done, and what maybe can happen from here on out as he is an active fighter again. Ike was a good fighter, nothing as special as he is made out to be sometimes. I felt that Tua beat him, and if you lose to Tua on the scorecards is says something about your boxing abilities. Byrd was also outboxing Ike and was just caught by a good punch.