The ring ranked him in their top 10.
Ranked ahead of him was Shanon Briggs, who after 1999 wouldn't have an important win for 5 years, and Michael Moorer, who was lackluster between dropping the rematch with Holyfield in 97' and getting smashed by David Tua in 02', and Michael Grant who was beating Savarese and Golota on his way to his destiny with Lennox Lewis in 00'.
That left only Lewis and Holyfield, who would meet twice in 1999 to unify, at no. 1 and no. 2.
The ring ranked Ibeabuchi no. 4 that following year.
Ibeabuchi had snapped the unbeaten streaks of Ring top 10 ranked David Tua at 27-0-0 and Chris Byrd at 23-0-0, by March 1999, and never fought again. Done at age 26, which customary is early prime for most heavyweights.
"The President" was an abbreviated career fighter. Generally I'll avoid projecting how far such a fighter might have gone with too much zeal because things can happen. But Ike Ibeabuchi's undefeated career rests on two decisive wins over two of the other most promising undefeated upcommers of his time in David Tua and Chris Byrd who both continued their rise after defeats to the Nigerian and would remain in the rankings for years to come; one a fearsome puncher and the other a top shelf deft boxer. Two of the best as the new Century began. Over the next 8 years 1999-2007, when Ibeabuchi would have presumably done his best work, the best opponents that he might have had to face, included here with each one's record during the years in question 99-07; would have included both Tua (16-2-1) and Byrd (14-4-1), joined by Lennox Lewis (7-1-1), Wladimir Klitschko (25-2-0), Hassim Rahman, (10-5-2), Evander Holyfield (7-5-2), Mike Tyson (5-3-2), Michael Grant (15-3-0), Vitali Klitschko (13-2-0), Oliver McCall (19-2-2), Hasim Rahman (16-5-2), Ruslaln Chagaev (21-0-1), Nikolai Valuev (30-1-1), Corrie Sanders (8-2-0), Ray Mercer (10-2-0), Shannon Briggs (17-3-1), Roy Jones Jr. (13-3-0), Kirk Johnson (10-3-0), Larry Donald (9-4-2), John Ruiz (9-4-2), Andrew Golota (7-4-2), Jameel McCline (21-6-2), Lamon Brewster (13-4-0), Tony Thompson (31-1-0), Oleg Maskaev (19-3-0), Joe Mesi (26-0-0), Samuel Peter (29-1-0), Sultan Ibragimov (22-0-1), James Toney (11-2-2), Lance Whitaker (14-5-0), Derrick Jefferson (10-4-1), Lou Savarese (8-5-0), and after that, guys of that era who probably had little or no shot at the Ibeabuchi who beat Tua & Byrd; like past prime Michael Moorer, or Clifford Etienne, Calvin Brock, Fres Oquendo, Davarryl Williamson, Elieser Castillo, Juan Carlos Gomez, Timer Ibragimov, Przemyslaw Saleta, Charles Shufford, Lawrence Clay-Bey, Andre Purlette, Sinan Samil Sam, Frans Botha, Luan Krasniqi, Danny Williams, Paolo Vidoz, Vaughn Bean, Monte Barrett, David Izon, Ray Austin, Kali Meehan, Dannell Nicholson, Mike Mollo, Kevin McBride, Herbie Hide, Timo Hoffmann, Michael Sprott, Audley Harrison, Volodymyr Vyrchys, Matt Skelton, Mark Potter, Brian Minto, Axel Schultz, Mark Krence, Owen Beck, Orlin Norris, Phil Jackson, Tony Grano, etc.
I'm thinking that as the stars of the 1990s aged out, we entered an era weaker than today's and many that came before, and that Ibeabuchi would have plowed through most of them.
Ranked ahead of him was Shanon Briggs, who after 1999 wouldn't have an important win for 5 years, and Michael Moorer, who was lackluster between dropping the rematch with Holyfield in 97' and getting smashed by David Tua in 02', and Michael Grant who was beating Savarese and Golota on his way to his destiny with Lennox Lewis in 00'.
That left only Lewis and Holyfield, who would meet twice in 1999 to unify, at no. 1 and no. 2.
The ring ranked Ibeabuchi no. 4 that following year.
Ibeabuchi had snapped the unbeaten streaks of Ring top 10 ranked David Tua at 27-0-0 and Chris Byrd at 23-0-0, by March 1999, and never fought again. Done at age 26, which customary is early prime for most heavyweights.
"The President" was an abbreviated career fighter. Generally I'll avoid projecting how far such a fighter might have gone with too much zeal because things can happen. But Ike Ibeabuchi's undefeated career rests on two decisive wins over two of the other most promising undefeated upcommers of his time in David Tua and Chris Byrd who both continued their rise after defeats to the Nigerian and would remain in the rankings for years to come; one a fearsome puncher and the other a top shelf deft boxer. Two of the best as the new Century began. Over the next 8 years 1999-2007, when Ibeabuchi would have presumably done his best work, the best opponents that he might have had to face, included here with each one's record during the years in question 99-07; would have included both Tua (16-2-1) and Byrd (14-4-1), joined by Lennox Lewis (7-1-1), Wladimir Klitschko (25-2-0), Hassim Rahman, (10-5-2), Evander Holyfield (7-5-2), Mike Tyson (5-3-2), Michael Grant (15-3-0), Vitali Klitschko (13-2-0), Oliver McCall (19-2-2), Hasim Rahman (16-5-2), Ruslaln Chagaev (21-0-1), Nikolai Valuev (30-1-1), Corrie Sanders (8-2-0), Ray Mercer (10-2-0), Shannon Briggs (17-3-1), Roy Jones Jr. (13-3-0), Kirk Johnson (10-3-0), Larry Donald (9-4-2), John Ruiz (9-4-2), Andrew Golota (7-4-2), Jameel McCline (21-6-2), Lamon Brewster (13-4-0), Tony Thompson (31-1-0), Oleg Maskaev (19-3-0), Joe Mesi (26-0-0), Samuel Peter (29-1-0), Sultan Ibragimov (22-0-1), James Toney (11-2-2), Lance Whitaker (14-5-0), Derrick Jefferson (10-4-1), Lou Savarese (8-5-0), and after that, guys of that era who probably had little or no shot at the Ibeabuchi who beat Tua & Byrd; like past prime Michael Moorer, or Clifford Etienne, Calvin Brock, Fres Oquendo, Davarryl Williamson, Elieser Castillo, Juan Carlos Gomez, Timer Ibragimov, Przemyslaw Saleta, Charles Shufford, Lawrence Clay-Bey, Andre Purlette, Sinan Samil Sam, Frans Botha, Luan Krasniqi, Danny Williams, Paolo Vidoz, Vaughn Bean, Monte Barrett, David Izon, Ray Austin, Kali Meehan, Dannell Nicholson, Mike Mollo, Kevin McBride, Herbie Hide, Timo Hoffmann, Michael Sprott, Audley Harrison, Volodymyr Vyrchys, Matt Skelton, Mark Potter, Brian Minto, Axel Schultz, Mark Krence, Owen Beck, Orlin Norris, Phil Jackson, Tony Grano, etc.
I'm thinking that as the stars of the 1990s aged out, we entered an era weaker than today's and many that came before, and that Ibeabuchi would have plowed through most of them.
Nash out
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