Ken Norton vs. Ike Ibeabuchi

ibeabuchi by late tko better chin:smoke:smoke:smoke

 

He would outbox him but would be weary of Ike's punch and would not take more risks than necessary.
And contrary to popular belief, Norton had a decent chin. He tended to 'choke' against big punchers but not all because of his chin.

 

Difficult to call. Norton had the tools to defeat Ike but the problem would be with his chin and psyche. Ike definitely had the tools to take advantage.

Had Ike had more time to develop, I would surely pick him to win.

 

Styles make fights. Neither guy would back up much, so we have to assess it based on how they did with other men who fought similarly. Norton always did well with boxers, but struggled more with punchers and real physical guys. Ibeabuchi proved his mettle against a real strong puncher in Tua. Ike showed punch volume and chin in that one. Based on that, I see him able to take what Norton had, and outhustle him to a decision. Although I see the possibility of a KO, really, when you think about it, Ibeabuchi was not quite as strong or as aggressive as say a young Foreman, nor as fast a starter as Cooney or Shavers. Therefore, I think Ike more likely uses his volume and power to win a decision rather than a KO. Should be competitive though and I wouldn't be hugely surprised if Ken pulled it out either.

 

Ibeabuchi's rising star was aborted by a sexual assault conviction against a Las Vegas "entertainer"/stripper who accused the president of **** in a motel room. He may well have been on his way to tearing his way through the HW division - we'll never know what could have been. Norton, on the other hand, was a proven commodity. What you saw was what you got. He fought brilliantly against Ali and Holmes but folded quickly against Foreman and Shavers. He was a dead man walking against Cooney and totally washed-up. If you think I'm lying check out the 10th round of Norton vs human punching bag Scott LeDoux. Norton tired himself out on this heavybag and was hanging on for dear life by the end of the 10th round. This was TWO YEARS before the Cooney fight mind you. So let's take the outstanding Norton of 1973-78 here. I don't Ike hit as hard as Foreman, Shavers and Cooney. But he hit hard enough and was quicker than those guys. So having said that I'll take the president to defeat Kenny Norton in a sizzling slugfest by a split verdict.

 

The thing is, what we have to go by is what he did; not what he could have done or in your case couldnt have done. Can he be a tad overrated yes, but the fact is the perception is based on what we've seen from him. We've never seen him lose or "exposed" as a hype machine; we've never been proven wrong about him.

In this regard, I'd favor him over Norton.


Ibeabuchi TKO5