Heavyweight Ike Ibeabuchi: Boxing’s Most Dangerous Warrior, Secret Notes Part VI
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
His original career dream was to be a soldier in the Nigerian Defense Academy. His home was Isuochi, in the Umunneochi area of Southeastern Nigeria. After watching James ‘Buster’ Douglas knock out Mike Tyson to win the World Heavyweight title, for Ike Ibeabuchi , it was necessary to leave his homeland to travel to America and realize his dream of becoming the world heavyweight champion. With his dream of fighting Mike Tyson still close to his heart, Ike headed for the United States as a teenager with his mother, Patricia, a nurse, who had a nurse job waiting for her in Dallas, Texas.
In the sixth installment in the Real Combat Media series, Ike ‘The President’ Ibeabuchi, who blew every heavyweight off the map during his 20 professional bouts, from number one contenders to future heavyweight champions, is profiled as the most dangerous fighter who ever lived, whose career descended into a bizarre madness. With less than four months until his release, Ike is dealing with old issues, and new issues. As Ike’s fall and rise is considered anew, Ike must start his life from scratch at age 47 very soon. Dewey Bozella is one fighter found innocent in the legal world of appeal. Ike is another, in part. Can Ike return? The odds are far.
On June 7, 1997, Ike Ibeabuchi and David Tua threw 1,730 punches when they fought a 12 rounder against each other, the all-time record for most punches thrown in a heavyweight bout. On March 20, 1999, Ike knocked out Olympic Silver Medalist Chris Byrd, who went on to win the world heavyweight title. Ring Magazine labeled Ibeabuchi ‘Boxing’s Most Dangerous Man’.
Ike’s late mother believed his charges and conviction, and the obliteration of his career, stemmed from unscrupulous promoters, who were frustrated with their inability to cash out on Ike’s talent towards their financial gain. In the end, Ike’s mother acted to protect Ike’s financial bank assets and investments from dual access from the late promoter Cedric Kushner, who represented him at the time he was arrested in Las Vegas several decades ago. The promoters, Ike’s mother argued, were in willing to risk their big investment fighters against Ibeabuchi, and were unwilling to let Kushner or anyone else cash out on Ibeabuchi either.
Ike’s mother transferred his bank accounts and financial assets to a Nigerian attorney, to whom she gave legal Power of Attorney. Ike’s bank accounts and investments were transferred from one bank to Wells Fargo Bank, who did not give these accounts deserved financial interest, as opposed to the interest they give to new accounts. In other words, if the attorney with Power of attorney had simply closed the accounts transferred involuntarily to Wells Fargo, and then reopened them at Wells Fargo, they would be interest bearing. Years later, according to Ike, the attorney sued for the missing interest. When Ike was released, the argument remained the attorney was suing for the interest, and as such, could not release Ike’s funds until the court matter was resolved. Ike sued for it anyway, and was also going to court to have his second conviction’s being overturned recognized, which the Nevada Supreme Court officially overturned twice but which the Nevada lower courts refused to recognize, obstructing Ike’s ability to gain his earlier release and clear his name in part. Ike’s high level of education earned behind bars (in particular, his paralegal certificate) enabled him to reverse his conviction twice. His greater education will be to get the reversal of the higher courts recognized by the lower courts upon his next release. Ike is very determined to clear his name.
A Dallas and Texas State Golden Gloves amateur champion, Ike was as ferocious as he was skilled in the ring. A come forward southpaw with a relentless head and body attack. Ibeabuchi was part monster, part slugger. All health checks showed Ike to be physically okay, but Ike was later ruled unfit for trial as he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He pled an Alford plea after being force medicated for eight months, and sentenced to 3 to 10 years on one charge, and 3 to 20 years on other charges, to be served consecutively.
Ike’s mother told a different tale. She claimed her son was innocent, and the victim of a dark conspiracy. She claimed: promoters tapped family phones; broke into their home; put chemicals in all of their food and beverages; and most importantly, paid women to set Ike up. and make sexual assault allegations against her Ike. She claimed Kushner wanted to renew Ike’s contract, but Ike wanted a new promoter with a better offer.
According to statements made by Ike’s mother, Ike did not have mental issues. “’Because of these dealers and their methods, we had to leave Dallas and moved to Arizona to seek refuge from them. Unfortunately, they followed us to this state and the nightmare continued. They tapped our phones, forced themselves inside our home, they put chemicals in all of our food and drinks, and they would disengage our house alarm and enter our home at any time of the day or night. These promoters went so far as to fly and bring false charges against Ike in Gilbert and Scottsdale while he lived with me in the same house, by paying a couple of women to accuse him of attempted kidnapping and sexual assault. The police investigated these charges and threw them out because there was no basis for these charges against him. Since they did not achieve their aim here they followed him to Las Vegas and repeated the same charges, which has kept Ike in jail. Ike has never really been tried or convicted of these false accusations or charges. The Las Vegas court sent Ike to a Reno mental hospital for evaluation. Before his arrival, staff had been informed Ike was dangerous, crazy and many other suggestions which made the staff apprehensive to his arrival. Upon Ike’s arrival at the hospital, the staff found that these statements were not even close to being the truth. Rather they found Ike to be peaceable, respectful, loving and cooperative.”
Before Ike’s fight with Chris Byrd, he demanded a Snickers bar or he wouldn’t fight. As to whether Ike is on lifetime parole in Arizona or not, and his citizenship application status, these questions and more will be answered by Ike upon his release. Ike did not break the conditions of his probation upon release in Arizona, he was rearrested and detained on an old warrant related to requirements of a long forgotten previous conviction.
With several college degrees and a paralegal certificate to his credit earned during his incarceration, Ike did not seek deportation or to leave, but opted to stay and fight for his innocence, his financial assets, and his dreams of returning to the ring again. While many have written of Ike’s emotional demons correlated this mental state long ago, my conversations with Ike showed him to be a polished and well-spoken personality with a keen distinguished accent. Clearly, his ongoing incarceration in the face of the Nevada Supreme Courts who declared him innocent have caused Ike to be feeling both frustrated, helpless, and alone, without any representation beyond basic legal aid. Since he will be under supervised release for six months after his release, these will be his most critical months of emotional recovery and reintegration into society, and the boxing world which utterly deserted him.
Like Sonny Liston’s tombstone, Ike Ibeabuchi is just ‘a man’. Unlike Gerald McClellan and Adonis Stevenson, Ike perhaps has a chance to try again in the ring, if not he still has his whole life ahead. His family in Nigeria is waiting and praying for him, even if the rest of the world is not, or more likely has forgotten him. The greatest victory for Ike Ibeabuchi will be victory over himself. If Ike can achieve that, Ike will be a champion, at least in his own mind. Ike wanted to fight Andy Ruiz Jr. after his brief release in 2016. While Ike’s troubles with the law may have made Ike radioactive to most, and a prisoner of the State of Arizona in the United States to any degree, Ike will have repaid his debt to society as society interprets it. Ike is entitled to a second chance in life. Whether the ring is part of that second chance or not depends on a promoter’s miracle, and Ike’s ability to look within. Most heavyweights hang around late for any paycheck they can get, long after the television overhead lights have faded. While Ike may return to the ring upon release, any victory he achieves would be more a personal achievement, and could create tremendous public interest as well as attention for the promoter who would give him a chance. The level of understanding and forgiveness Ibeabuchi requires are monumental. Ike’s mother Patricia died just before his last release.
Rocky Marciano, George Kandelaki, Joe Mesi, Ike Ibeabuchi, Sonny Bill Williams, George Foreman III, Dorsett Barnwell and Ricky Womack (in part) are the acknowledged heavyweights who fought their entire career undefeated (and untied). Ike would be the oldest or one of the oldest heavyweights out there if he returns, and the oldest of the above listed names to try again. From John L. Sullivan to Muhammad Ali, from Mike Tyson to Wladimir Klitschko, such heavyweight comebacks by the old ring masters have traditionally not fared well. Truth? Ike Ibeabuchi, who would be ring rusty, has not been hit in the head for 20 years.
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