how good was Ike Ibeabuchi

[likeamulekick]

don't know a lot on this guy other than he sounds crazy. He had wins over Tua and Bryd and never lost due to problems outside of boxing. Havnt seen a lot of footage on him but he looked very lean, strong and also got a record for the most amount of punches in a round or something, so he could go the distance well. How good of a boxer was he? Did he have a good chin and who would you compare him too? He defintly doesn't look like a walk in the park

[ShoulderRoll]

He was more impressive against a prime Chris Byrd than either of the Klitschkos. And he shook off Tua's best punches like nothing while hurting him several times.

I'd say he was pretty darn good. He would have been a force at the top of the HW division had he not gone crazy.

[Tommo1]

Honestly, had he kept it together, I am of the opinion he could have been the greatest HW of all time.

He had the build you want at HW.

Watch him vs Tua, indeed they both broke records and Ike set personally the highest workrate ever thrown in a WH fight. At 240lb 6'2" this is incredible. He also displayed he was patient and fast enough to track down the Byrd, delivering a devastating KO.

10 more fights worth of refinement and neither Lewis, Klitschko's, Holyfield and obviously Tyson by that stage would have been able to withstand him.

Ike for president!

[Hop]

I can't go as far as Tommo1, but will say this:

1) His arms were like sledgehammers, yet somehow he kept his work rate extremely high. (Didn't he and Tua set some kind of HW record for most punches thrown?) What a physical specimen! (I did think the Tua decision could've gone either way.)

2) The uppercut-blast that left poor Chris Byrd drooling like a sick dog shows the damage that one of those 'sledgehammer swings' could do if it hit you flush. Yikes!

3) The HW division could SO have used the boost that Ibeabuchi could've provided. He would've been a major player.

4) Ultimately his story is a very sad one, of course, and I've wondered exactly what went so crazily wrong.

[Tommo1]

Well maybe I get a bit excited as I feel it is a very sad story. The other side of the coin is that Ibeabuchi was a physical masterpiece and a boxer with decent skills and great brawling abilities with the power and chin to be effective. But was not at the level of the true greats like Lewis, Holyfield, Tyson etc and would be UD'd by them.

This is entirely plausible and as Ike was not proven I rank him below. But when you consider he fought Tua at 15 fights and Byrd at 20 you can see that if he managed to improve to 30-0 he would be somewhat a force to be reckoned with just a little more seasoned than say Wilder is today!

The champs lost to lesser fighters than Ike!

[Marcov]

Ibeabuchi was very strong in body but not in mind.

[K-DOGG]

Ibeabuchi is a prime example of a waste of a life. I've never been more impressed with a heavyweight's potential that Ike's.....cept maybe Tyson.

He had the stamina, good punch, great whiskers, and much better than average skills. It's not very often you see a big man like that throw that many shots over the course of a fight. He very well could have taken the starch out of David Tua's career. Tua was on a roll until he met Ike. And even though he got a controversial knockout over Rahman later, the Tua train lost a few gears after facing "Mr. President".

What coulda been: That's Ike Ibeabuchi.

[Anthony342]

So Ike would've had a good shot to beat the best of the heavyweight division? Would he beat those same guys if they were still in their prime, Lewis, Tyson, Bowe, Klitschko, etc.?

[beez721]

So Ike would've had a goos hot to beat the best of the heavyweight division? Would he beat those same guys if they were still in their prime, Lewis, Tyson, Bowe, Klitschko, etc.?

I think hed beat everyone with the exception of those guys. I think hes overrated. he went life and death with a one dimensional tua and I actually thought tua eked out the win. byrd was hanging with him until he got caught with a huge shot against the ropes. ike was strong and had amazing stamina but his jab was only average and his hand speed wasnt exceptional

[Tommo1]

It's not just what he was, it's what he maybe could have been with more polish. Of course those fighters should rank higher because they are proven.