Ike Ibeabuchi

Ike had a great chance to elevate into something very special, he had fast hands and a chin, he was well conditioned and was not afraid to face anyone when he was on that rail towards the top.. He may not have beaten Lewis , but remember Lewis was a bit special... Ike would more than likely been Lennox's successor for a short time when he eventually retired , IF... He would never have been such a brainless ass, and took that private dancer back to his suite in the Mirage Hotel that dreadded night... He will regret that for a very long time... He did indeed have a history of mental illness and was prone to mood swings and insecure behaviour when he was with Cedric Kushner, Ced knows a whole bunch of tales about Ike and his constant paranoia concerning the devil, demons, voices and persacution of him and those around him.. He could flip out on a milli second.. Ask Ezzera Sellers (ex sparring partner..)

 

I remember reading an interview with...it was either Ike's trainer or promoter three or four years back, and he was unusually candid. He even admitted he felt there were certain flaws in Ike's game that could've been exploited at the top level.

He kinda gave the impression that, while pushing how good Ike was, the hype had gone a bit over the top in the years since and people were talking about Ike like the second coming with god-like stamina, constant massive punching, invulnerable to damage and technical wizardry.

He did also say that, while Ike was bad mentally before, he was really wigged-out by the time he got close to contender status around '98. He wondered if it was the pressure getting to him but now feels it was a lot more than that.

Wish I could find the interview, or remember it more clearly.

 

Ike was an aggression junkie, when he was pressed backwards however he sometimes went to sleep and lost concentration.. I have seen him train with Curtis and he never seemed to be the same man every day, no consistancy.. Ike had great raw tools, you can get by on raw power and aggression for so long , but you have to polish that precious stone until a glistening gemstone finally appears.. He had a ways to go, but he did look for a time like he was well on his way.. (Lewis would have had too good of a boxing brain to lose to him back then) I do agree however that Mike Grant and Dominick would have not withstood his pressure fighting.. He was good ... Just very good...

 

Ike had some real talent. How he did with Tua was impressive. And knocking out Byrd was quite a feat considering that back then, Byrd was at his shifty best. I don`t think he had the right size or style to deal with Lewis. But he would have gotten the best of anyone else...

 

Ike is on youtube I believe. I have about 8 to 10 of his fights. The site is boxingvideos.net?! Would of loved to see him against the Klitschkos. What a waste!

 

yes, he crippled a child.