Ike Ibeabuchi is Still Not Released From Arizona Department of Corrections
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Former undefeated number one heavyweight contender Ikemefula ‘Ike’ Ibeabuchi of Nigeria, age 46, whose last known physical address was Gilbert, Arizona, was not released by the Arizona Department of Corrections on his scheduled release date of October 1, 2020 due various verbal infractions which caused him to forfeit theoretical good time credits. Records indicate Ibeabuchi can be held in Arizona for at least another six months, and can remain under state supervision for at about another year. His immigration status, which was in progress after his initial release in 2016, currently remains in a precarious limbo, still unresolved, which affects his ability to leave Arizona-due to his subsequent reincarceration.
After serving his Nevada sentence in 2016 under a 1999 Alford plea, Ikebuchi was released and transferred to United States Immigration and Customs enforcement (ICE) at Eloy Detention center in Eloy, Arizona. He was eventually released when his immigration status was verified, allowing Ibeabuchi to apply for an American green card and citizenship. Ibeabuchi, unaware of any previous legal issues, had his immigration paperwork red flagged upon his rearrest on an old warrant for failing to violating the terms of his 1998 Arizona probation, which Ibeabuchi was apparently not aware of at the time he was held in Nevada. In addition, Ibeabuchi was pursuing civilly his right to reclaim his earnings still held in bank escrow back from the time he fought under the late promoter Cedric Kushner. Legal control of Ibeabuchi’s money was, according to Ike in later interviews after his initial release, transferred by his late mother Patricia Ibeabuchi, a registered nurse who resided in Chandler, Arizona, to a lawyer serving as her Power of Attorney to block Kushner’s then dual access to Ibeabuchi’s earnings after his Nevada arrest.
While incarcerated, Ibeabuchi earned three college Associate’s degrees from Western Nevada Community College in General Studies, Business, and Management, and also earned a paralegal certificate by correspondence from Blackstone Career Institute in Allentown, Pennsylvania. His paralegal proficiency enabled him to better understand his situation, and pursue his own court matters to some degree. His Las Vegas conviction was overturned by the Nevada Supreme Court in 2007, and he expected to be released, but the lower courts abandoned the ruling. The Nevada Supreme Court subsequently affirmed the earlier ruling of its overturning of Ibeabuchi’s Las Vegas conviction again. Ibeabuchi is still fighting for his innocence to have his name cleared in Nevada, another legal action unresolved. Ibeabuchi’s delayed release in the Arizona penal system id probably due, in part, to his verbal frustration on being held due to matters beyond his knowledge and control, and his inability to resolve his ICE immigration status, Nevada court rulings, and civil actions to regain his financial assets in Arizona.
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