Twenty-six years after his last professional bout, Nigerian-born heavyweight Ike Ibeabuchi made a remarkable return to the ring with a retirement victory over Idris Afinni at Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos.
The 52-year-old, once feared as one of the division’s most dangerous contenders, forced Afinni (18-9-2, 15 KOs) to remain on his stool after three rounds. The win extends Ibeabuchi’s undefeated record to 21-0, with 16 coming by knockout.
Nicknamed “The President,” Ibeabuchi rose to prominence in the 1990s with notable victories over David Tua and Chris Byrd and was on the brink of clashes with Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis before his career was abruptly halted in 1999. A lengthy prison sentence kept him out of the sport for more than two decades before he returned to Nigeria.
Saturday’s fight marked his first-ever professional bout on home soil and his first official appearance since knocking out Byrd in 1999. The event was broadcast on pay-per-view through Prizefighting.tv at $29.99.
Ahead of the comeback, Ibeabuchi set ambitious targets, naming Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury, and rising British-Nigerian prospect Moses Itauma as future opponents. He also expressed his desire to break George Foreman’s record as the oldest heavyweight champion.
“It feels good to finally get back in the ring. Twenty-six years is a long time,” Ibeabuchi told World Boxing News. “I want to become the oldest heavyweight champion in the world. I’m in better shape now than when I beat David Tua and Chris Byrd. For 26 years, I’ve been training both physically and mentally. I am the most dangerous man in boxing.”
While his comeback adds him to the growing list of former champions returning to the ring, Ibeabuchi’s case is unique—driven less by nostalgia and more by unfinished business. Supporters argue that sanctioning bodies should give him a fair ranking opportunity, especially when less-proven fighters, including YouTubers, have received favorable placements.
For Ibeabuchi, the fight was more than a victory. It was redemption, a long-awaited chance to reclaim the career that prison once stole.
