Ike Ibeabuchi and Oliver McCall will fight on Thanksgiving if 12,500 fans pay to watch

If you’re looking for something to do at Thanksgiving and fancy watching two creaking old heavyweights whack each other senseless then this sounds perfect: Ike Ibeabuchi and Oliver McCall, 53 and 61 years old respectively, are pencilled in  to meet at 2pm in New York on November 26.

If this really sounds like your bag – remnants of once very good heavyweights rattling each other’s brains – you have until October 31 to pay to watch.

The organisers, PrizeFightingTV, will only commit to staging the horror show if 12,500 fans pre-book the pay per view for $9.95.

“If the goal [of 12,500 buys] is not reached, the event will not move forward and every buyer gets a 100 per cent refund, no questions asked,” said the marketing material.

McCall, 61-14-1 (40 KOs), last fought in June last year when he was held to a draw over six rounds by the 7-17-2 Carlos Reyes. Going into that bout, Reyes was riding a 10-year, 13-fight winless streak.

Ibeabuchi, meanwhile, is likely fresher. Though far too old to be fighting at 53, he is just 21-1 (16 KOs) and began a comeback last year after a lengthy stretch behind bars.

His first action of the millennium came when he stopped Idris Afinni last August but, in December, he was outpointed over 12 rounds by Kabiru Towolawi.

McCall’s best win came in September 1994 when he stunned Lennox Lewis to win the WBC heavyweight title whereas Ibeabuchi looked like a champion in waiting after halting Chris Byrd in March 1999.