IKE IBEABUCHI: MY TRAVAILS INSIDE PRISONS IN THE USA

For the first time since he was conditionally released from the U.S prison, erstwhile world boxing heavyweight contender, Ikemefuna Ibeabuchi, said some forces are bent on keeping him locked up forever. 
TAIWO ALIMI goes behind the line to capture the struggles of the Nigerian boxer in-and-out of prison and the extended detention of the pugilist fondly called The President.

For those below the age of 30, Ike Ibeabuchi, the Nigerian heavyweight boxer needs a long and good introduction.  Nicknamed ‘The President’, his amateur career was one of the shortest in heavyweight history. It started in 1994 with victory over Duncan Dokiwari who later won Olympic bronze medal in Atlanta 1996 and winning the Dallas and Texas State Golden Gloves tournaments.

By October of the same year, former world welterweight champion Curtis Cokes had signed him up professionally and pushed him to the jackals almost immediately to make his professional debut; and he did not disappoint earning a quick second-round knockout over Ishmael Garcia.

The world could not ignore the talented young man who insisted the western media and boxing world should call him by his local name Ibeabuchi rather than the easily pronounced Ike.

And he had his way as boxing reporters, commentators and promoters learnt to articulate the Igbo name meaning ‘Gift of God.’ By 1999, he had churned up an impressive 20 wins with 15 KOs.

According to Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing correspondent, who in 2014 made contact with Ibeabuchi in prison and who has been in the forefront of agitation for his unconditional release: “After winning 16 straight fights from the start of his career, Ike made a big jump in competition and fought undefeated prospect David Tuafor for the WBC international heavyweight title on 7th June 1997. Tua was 27-0 and considered by many analysts to be ‘the next Mike Tyson.’

“Both boxers threw bombs and neither took a backward step all night. Ibeabuchi and Tua set a CompuStat heavyweight division record with 1,730 punches thrown. Ike also set the individual CompuStat record by throwing 975 punches and averaging 81 per round.

“The heavyweight average is around 50. Ibeabuchi won a unanimous 12-round decision over Tua with scores of 117-111, 116-113, and 115-114. The fight established Ibeabuchi as the WBC international heavyweight title holder and top contender for world titles.”

Ibeabuchi returned to the ring after thirteen months inactivity, and scored a first-round knockout over Tim Ray in July 1998. Two months later, he stopped Everton Davis in nine rounds.

Ibeabuchi’s next fight was against Chris Byrd in March 1999. Byrd, a 1992 Olympic silver medallist and a future world heavyweight champion, was a quick and slick southpaw with a record of 26–0. After four rounds, the three judges had the fight scored evenly: 38–38 even, 39-37 for Ibeabuchi, and 39–37 for Byrd.

In the fifth round, Ibeabuchi landed a devastating left hook which sent Byrd to the canvas. Byrd made it back to his feet, but was quickly knocked back down. Byrd once again rose, but was trapped against the ropes and taking punishment as the referee waved it off at the 2:59 mark. Another KO for Ibeabuchi!

Ibeabuchi was famous. He had raked in millions of dollars in wins, taken his first title and boxing buffs are tipping him to unify the heavyweight titles.

U.S leading boxing magazine, ‘The Ring’, in its August 1999 edition named him among four candidates for heavyweight greatness. The others are Lennox Lewis, David Tua and Michael Grant and four months later, Ibeabuchi graced the magazine cover with the title: ‘Boxing most dangerous man.’

For a boxer that took to boxing only five years down the line in 1994, Ibeabuchi upset boxing permutation and not many were happy about it.

Perhaps the rave review and praises got into his head. He became gregarious in word and action. He nicknamed himself ‘The President’ and moved around with large staff abusing boxers and managers. He also turned down what he called ‘small fights.’

First, he turned down $700,000 to fight fringe contender Jeremy Williams and $1 million for a showdown with the undefeated Michael Grant.

From here his fortune twisted.

Few months after beating Byrd to submission, he was handed the beating of his life. He landed in jail for assaulting a stripper.

Ibeabuchi had fallen for the same trick that knocked out the career of his childhood hero, Mike Tyson.

According to Brizel: “He was staying at The Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas when he phoned a local escort service and had a woman sent to his room. The 21-year-old woman said later she was there to strip and nothing else. She claimed Ibeabuchi attacked her in the walk-in closet after she demanded to be paid up front. Ibeabuchi barricaded himself in the bathroom and police discharged pepper spray under the door until he surrendered.”

The Nigerian was alleged to have similarly assaulted another lady eight months earlier at Treasure Island Hotel and Casino.

The WBC champion was labelled ‘crazy and unstable’ in addition to ‘dangerous’ popularised by The Ring magazine and placed under house arrest.

After an excruciating trial that lasted more than two years, he was sentenced to 16 years imprisonment. By 2014, when he served out his term, he made a move to reignite his career, only to be picked up again by U.S Immigration, Customs and Enforcement (ICE).

Shedding light into Ike’s immigration troubles, his nephew John Uzo, who facilitated the interview with the incarcerated Ike, said: “After he was released in 2014, U.S Immigration detained him because he was yet to be issued his green card.

“By 2016, when he got his green card and was released, he was again picked up and even the family did not know where they were holding him. At a point we thought he was dead.”

Brizel followed up from here:“It appears Ibeabuchi was unaware of any requirements regarding the first conviction at the time he was released from immigration holding in 2016. According to Arizona, ICE has a detainer on Ibeabuchi issued on 16th February 2018, which may relate to his United States citizenship application status after Ike was issued a green card in 2016.

“Nigeria would not issue Ibeabuchi travel papers in 2015, and Ibeabuchi wound up in immigration limbo. Ibeabuchi was found officially admitted to the Arizona State penal system on 16th February 2018, and found guilty of disorderly conduct on 23rd March 23 2018, considered a major violation in Arizona, but it is unknown whether this is related to his violating the terms of his first conviction.

“His new Arizona release date is 25thSeptember 2019, and his supervision will end 5th March 2020. Ikemefuna Ibeabuchi, 47 years old on February 2, 2020, remains on lifetime probation in Arizona.”

But for Brizel, who had followed Ike’s judicial problems using his journalism links, it is confirmed that Ike is still behind bars and may be released with conditions early 2020.

“As soon as we (family) realised he (Ike) is alive and where he was being held, we swung into action to let the whole world know the injustice against our brother and uncle,” Uzo said.

Uzo said his uncle needs the help of Nigeria government to facilitate his unrestricted release.

Meanwhile, Ibeabuchi has carefully dissected his trial and travail from prison to detention while responding to The Nation enquiries.

Ibeabuchi explained: “I was convicted in 2011, but as soon as I got new evidence I appealed and in 2007, the Supreme Court of Nevada overturned my conviction in Habeas Corpus appeal, and remanded it to the lower courts to effect my reversal and overturn. I expected to be released immediately.”

That did not happen.

“The lower courts abandoned it, and did not clear my penal record as the Nevada Supreme Court had ordered. So the matter remained moot. Instead of my release to be effected, I was moved to administrative segregation. I expected to be released unconditionally, but I was not released. They did not release me.”

So, he remained in the Nevada State penal system, saying that denial deflated his plan to resume his career in 2007: “I was sure my appeal would sail through. I stepped up my training in prison, two times a day. I was still in form and was really looking forward to relaunch my career.”

Ibeabuchi was thereafter moved into administrative segregation at another prison where he spent another seven years.

He said: “After the judgment in my favour in the Nevada State Supreme Court was received and abandoned, from 2007 to 2014, I was held in Ely State Maximum Security Prison in administrative segregation. I was allowed to train in Lovelock, High Desert and Carson City, but in Ely I was not allowed to train.”

One would think that his problem would come to an end on serving out his term. It was not to be as he was to remain incarcerated for another three years.

“I want to think there are forces that did not want me in the U.S.” Ibeabuchi further revealed: “In 2003, Arizona had issued a grand jury warrant to extradite me, and it was illegal because Nevada had to dispose its own matters before Arizona could file for extradition. Arizona was my home state of residence when I got arrested in Nevada. I hired an attorney who looked at the case and we won.

“I contacted Governor Brian Sandoval of Nevada about my case. They did not write me back. The governor had written back to me earlier when he was attorney general. I had the Nevada Supreme Court letter of relief. I was asked to withdraw my appeals and on Jan 19 to 21 of 2016, “The Nevada Supreme Court and the Chief Justice, respectively, issued an order addressing the order of the Supreme Court in 2007 ordering it be upheld, owing to the circumstances of 2007 to 2014 when my certificate of discharge was issued by the State of Nevada.”

Freedom, Ibeabuchi noted was nowhere in sight as he was whisked away again: “Immigration detained me because I did not have a green card. They seemed to be looking for any reason to keep me away from the ring. By 2016, when my green card was renewed, I was arrested again for violating the conditions of my probation in Gilbert, Arizona, based on an old warrant dating back to 2003, which I was unaware of.”

Bugged down by the high and mighty and the complicated U.S judiciary jargons, Ike is not giving up.

He has earned three associate’s degrees and certificates in prison. One of them is a paralegal certificate to better understand how U.S legal system works. All while behind bars.

Hear him: “I earned my Associate of Applied Science in General Studies in 2005 from Western Nevada College. Then in 2006, I got an Associate of Applied Science in General Business. The following year I passed the Associate of Applied Science in Management. I then earned a paralegal certificate from Blackstone Career Institute in Pennsylvania by correspondence.”

He also believes he would get the U.S citizenship soonest and resume his boxing career.

“The judgment of the Nevada Supreme County was obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, and sent to Homeland Security to put into my file. I can be called for a citizenship interview at any time. Once I am a citizen of the United States, I intend to resume my boxing career full-time.”

However, Brizel is not as optimistic: “Ibeabuchi would be 47 before he’s released in 2020. He also has to get around the lifetime probation hanging on his neck.”

In reality, ‘The President’ may never be a free man.

So far, ‘The President’ has served in six prisons, correctional homes and detention across U.S for nearly 20 years. They are, High Desert State Prison Nevada, Ely State Prison Nevada, Lovelock Correctional Centre Nevada, Eloy Detention centre, Washoe County Jail Nevada and Carson City Correctional Michigan.

While the combination of State of Nevada, U.S Homeland Security and ICE are bent on keeping Ibeabuchi locked down, he is locked in another battle of survival. He said he is on the verge of losing millions of dollars earned in 20 heavyweights wins from 1994 to 1999.

“I had three bank accounts at Norwest Bank worth over 10 million dollars. This included a money market investment portfolio worth over 500 thousand to a million dollars.

“My mother assigned my power of attorney to a family friend, an attorney, in September of 2001, in the Supreme Court of Nevada. To date, he has refused to be discharged from his status as overseer of my accounts and return my money and financial assets to me and will not provide me with financial records.”

It is not impossible that Ike could remain behind bars and penniless unless other strong forces intervene.

Uzo strongly believes Ibeabuchi needs help from home – Nigeria.

“We have been calling and still using this opportunity to call on President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) to help him,” noted Uzo. “He is a citizen of Nigeria and if there is any time to step into his case it is now.

“Ike is a fighter and from incarceration, he has fought gallantly, I’m appealing to Nigeria to join forces with him now.

“The U.S media and judiciary have labelled him dangerous and crazy yet he has read, passed and acquired four degrees and certificates under lock and key. They don’t know what they are talking about,” added Uzo, who remains positive Ibeabuchi will one day walk out a free man.