On March 20th, 1999, Ike Ibeabuchi crushed Chris Byrd in five rounds. It was as scary a KO as the decade had seen and it put ‘The President’ on the brink of must see television. The stoppage brought Ibeabuchi’s record to 20-0, with 15 KO’s. However, the party came to a sudden halt for Ike Ibeabuchi and his substantial fan base. Trouble with the law put Ibeabuchi behind bars and the Nigerian slugger went from prospect to convict. That is how fast an individuals life can implode. During Ibeabuchi’s prison term, Chris Byrd went on to have a nice career, winning and defending two different versions of the Heavyweight Championship. While not one of Byrd’s victories came close to the excitement of Ibeabuchi’s KO over him; the Southpaw from Flint, Michigan showed the value of keeping your nose clean. Chris Byrd had a chance to prosper in a believed to be weak heavyweight era, Ike Ibeabuchi did not. Yet.
Ike Ibeabuchi has served his time and is looking to lace ’em up once again. The rumor is that he will land a fight on Manny Pacquaio’s date of April the 9th. While PacMan’s opponent is unknown, it is being billed as his farewell fight and is certain to be a PPV extravaganza. A lot of eye balls will be focused on the event; a perfect opportunity for ‘The President’ to launch his comeback. While the era of heavyweight boxing that Ibeabuchi missed out on might have been considered weak, that era is considered to be murderer’s row, compared to the era that Ibeabuchi will be embarking on now. At age 43, and away from the sport for over 16 years, can Ibeabuchi find success against the likes of Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua & company?
Everyone who follows boxing has a theory on Ibeabuchi; as is the case with any topic attached to the sweet science. However, some of the theories regarding this comeback is insulting. The comparison being made to George Foreman comes to mind. Other than fighting in the same weight class, Big George & The President’s comeback stories are nothing alike. George Foreman reached the absolute pinnacle of the sport, and decided to walk away when he was still one of the best in the sport, although he probably reached his peak. Ike Ibeabuchi was emerging as a big star, however was still a prospect when he suffered consequences due to his behavior. Consequences that robbed him of his peak as a professional boxer.
George Foreman decided to come back after about 10 years of freedom, where he was able to do whatever he pleased. He was in his late 30’s – Ike Ibeabuchi will be trying to make a comeback after over 16 years of inactivity; where most of that time was spent in the heinous atmosphere of incarceration. He turns 43 in February. For the first couple of years of his comeback, George Foreman fought under rather obscure conditions of cable TV channels that did not reach many homes. Ike Ibeabuchi’s first fight back on the comeback trail appears to be on the highest stage the sport has to offer, a breeding ground for all of social media to critique. When George Foreman first came back the heavyweight division was at its healthiest; as a man named Tyson ruled the division and was considered to be unbeatable. Nobody even felt Foreman could be in the same ring with Iron Mike at that time. Ike Ibeabuchi is already considered to have a good chance to beat the current crop of heavyweight champions before even fighting a single round of his comeback bid. Much more to contrast than to compare.
Something else to keep in mind about Foreman’s comeback is that he failed in his first two attempts to regain the heavyweight championship. George’s celebrity status gave him a lot of rope. He was a huge draw. Nobody, other than boxing junkies, have ever heard of Ike Ibeabuchi. Will his rope be on par with George Foreman if he happens to lose? Ike is not going to be able to build his record against the likes of Ken Lakusta on ESPN/USA networks. Those kinds of fights did wonders for George and his confidence. Ike will not have that perk. Where will he get his confidence from? How will he build up his record?
The better comparison to make with Ike Ibeabuchi would be with Tony Ayala Jr. Ayala was a prospect born in San Antonio, Texas. Fighting at the 154-pound limit, ‘El Torito’ took the boxing world by storm with his tenacious aggression in the early 80’s. Lou Duva felt Ayala was primed to take on the top fighters of the 80’s. Duva was never given the chance to earn the title of clairvoyant, as Ayala’s aggressive behavior did not limit itself to the boxing ring. Trouble with the law put Ayala behind bars. November of 1982 was the last time Tony Ayala Jr. dazzled as a boxer.
Upon his release from prison, Tony Ayala Jr. tried to get his boxing flare back in 1999, the last year Ibeabuchi laced ’em up. The years however did not prove kind to Tony. His flare for high-octane, high volume punching pugilism, was more like a 6, compared to the ten plus he showcased during the first term of Ronald Reagan’s presidency. While Ayala did win some fights, he was stopped against his two toughest opponents and never fought for a world title. While I am no clairvoyant, the smart bet is Ibeabuchi’s comeback will resemble Ayala’s a lot more than it will Foreman’s. Over 16 years is a long time off, add the very stressful environment Ibeabuchi was in, and you have a recipe that is way too potent for anyone to hold down. If Tony Ayala Jr. was alive he would be able to tell you a lot better than I could. It is also important to mention that ‘El Torito’ was 36 when he tried to come back.
This is not to suggest ‘The President’ should not try, and the public should not pay attention. Ibeabuchi has a chance to accomplish something no one else has even come close to doing in the boxing ring. However this story unfolds, it will be intriguing. Having said that, you have to know what you are investing in when following this story.
