Who did Ike Ibeabuchi knockout?

Okay, by saying you don't think Byrd was a bad fighter or glass jawed, you're really not giving him the credit he deserved. The fact is at one point Byrd was ranked #1 in the world. Byrd has a few wins over the top ten opponents. If you said it like that, I think it would put Ike's win in perspective and show the actual value of the win. Can we agree on that? I think you can because it's 100% true.

As I pointed out, no one stopped Byrd as quickly. Byrd not only had a good chin, but he was also a southpaw who was hard to catch cleanly.

In his first 20 fights, very few lineal champions had beaten better than Ike. Ike proved he could go toe to toe with the best version of Tua, showing an excellent chin and stamina. He also proved he wasn't just a puncher, tracing down a durable/hard to catch Chris Byrd and taking him out in style. You can also say Ike wasn't a finished product yet, and was improving.

No one can say for sure how far he would have gone, but based on the annual ring magazine annual ratings, and a clear decline in Holyfield by 1998, Ike is beating him. I think he'd Stop Moorer and brutalize Foreman. Lewis is only man I'd favor over Ike, but Lennox could also get knocked out in that fight too.

The 1990's was my favorite time in heavyweight boxing. It was a time I boxed. It was a time of top talent. And it was a time when I almost never missed a big fight live as cable had boxing covered well and there was no you tube to watch the tight later on. Let me tell you, those watching heavyweight boxing who didn't like Lewis wanted to see him fight Ike.

1997 Ring Magazine Annual rankings

Title Vacant
Evander Holyfield
Lennox Lewis
Michael Moorer
Ray Mercer
Tim Witherspoon
George Foreman
Shannon Briggs
Ike Ibeabuchi
David Tua
David Izon

 

Do you think having 30+ lbs of muscle might be an advantage against Jack Johnson, Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, or Joe Frazier?

 

There is logic here that Byrd didn't have an ATG chin. However aren't you doing an injustice to Ibeabuchi by not giving the credit for doing what no one else could do to Byrd? IE break down and stop one of the most defensively sound boxers of the modern era by forcing him to make mistakes through pressure.

And Byrd did make 175, but he did seem to pay a price for making the weight imo

 

Ike was rocked up, very strong. Heck yes, and he was stronger than just about any heavyweight I can think of. Strength if you can apply it is an advantage in boxing. However the world strongest men would be dead meat in a boxing ring with a decent fighter.

I still think you aren't being fair to how Byrd, or his accomplishments, and his durability vs. punchers.

Three quick questions.

1 ) Do you agree Byrd beat top contenders and was ranked #1 by Ring magazine?

2 ) Do you agree that Bryd had a good chin and was hard to catch cleanly?

3 ) Do you agree Ike stopped him more impressively than anyone he fought?

 

lewis couldnt get up for byrd and byrd at that stage woulda clowned that ass.

 

styles make fights. Absolutely why lewis wanted none.

 

Hold on, 36 lbs muscle is just one advantage in boxing, its doesn't declare a winner at heavyweight. Valuev probably had more muscle weight than anyone is history. See my point?

If you that fixated on weight than Ike has advantage over most of your favorites too. Are you willing to go that far, or just on Byrd, who outweighed Louis, Johnson, Dempsey. Yes or no? You cant bend what you wish and not apply it to all. That's a problem some have on this board. In actually Ike has an even bigger muscle advantage over the guys I mentioned.

Byrd, beat men who had more than 30 pounds on him by the way.

No one claimed Ike was a top 10 all time puncher, but he certainly was a puncher who carried his power. Foreman hit harder, but what good is that power if you gas? Ike at the time set a record for punches with Tua. IMO, he also showed a better chin than Foreman.

Here's what I think. Ike had a proven top chin. His ability to box and move keeping his power for 12 rounds was also proven. And he hit was certainly a puncher. Maybe not a 10 on the 1-10 scale like Tyson or Lewis, but a 9 is reasonable. I don't think Ike had the chance to prove how good he was, so he isn't top 5 guy. But give me your top 20, and I tell you who I think he beats in a head to head fashion.

 

Lewis dropped a belt to avoid Byrd. There is a reason. Lewis had problems with south paws, even he says he didn't like them which for his ego says lot. Instead Lewis fought the vastly over rated Mike Grant. He also didn' t mix is with Ruiz, and boxing fans had to suffere because to that. Had Lewis Ko'd Ruiz, the fans would not have had to suffer through his antics

 

Ibeabuchi actually had 15 stoppage wins. We have footage of a number of his fights, and his punches looked very, very hard.Those of us who rate his power highly do so on that basis. Not sure why you're having such a difficult time understanding this.

By the way, you keep throwing out the "top 10 puncher" label but I'm not sure anyone in this thread has actually used it (pardon me if I missed something).

 

If Ike's fighting in the pre-steroid age we are looking at a completely different fighter. Many of Ike's personality problems, along with his physique, point to fairly substantial steroid abuse.

 

What was amazing to me was that he managed to time and catch Byrd .. to my Byrd is a grossly underrated fighter .. to me catching a prime Byrd enough to take him out the way he did would near comparable to taking out a prime Whitaker or a prime Jones .. they were just not guys that got caught like that .. Ike managed to time him and do it and that to me was a hell of an accomplishment ..