‘How Ike Ibeabuchi’s promoter orchestrated his downfall’ – Brother, Stan Ibeabuchi

The ordeal of a former WBC International Heavyweight Champion of Nigerian origin, Ike Ibeabuchi, who was recently released from Arizona prison in the United States after 20 years in jail has continued to raise questions as fingers point at his former promoter Cedric Kushner, accused of orchestrating the conspiracy that led to the downfall of the boxing champion.

Ibeabuchi, who ran into trouble with the American authorities in 1999 after he was accused of sexual assault, is a record-breaking and undefeated heavyweight boxer from Nigeria who migrated to the United States in 1993 at the age of 19, settling in Dallas, Texas with his mother Patricia.

Like his late mother Patricia, many, however, believe Ibeabuchi was a victim of a conspiracy orchestrated by some American boxing cabal.

His brother, Stan Ibeabuchi, has also given credence to the claim. He accused Ibeabuchi’s late former promoter, Cedric Kushner of being behind his brother’s ordeal over his contract renewal.

Kushner was a South African-born American boxing promoter and manager. He was one of the prominent boxing promoters in the U.S in the 1990s. Before dying of a heart attack in 2015, he had reportedly lost boxing prestige; going into a mental and physical decline.

In an interview with Real Combat Media’s Robert Brizel, Stan claimed Cedric Kushner set him (Ibeabuchi) up over his reluctance to renew his contract with the promoter.

“At that time, Ike’s contract with him had expired, and Kushner insisted Ike renew the contract with him. That was when Kushner went against Ike, and set him up,” Stan claims.

“My brother’s case was handled unjustly, and he was never given a fair chance to defend himself. He spent a lot of time for a crime he did not commit, and spent more than 20 years in prison. That is an injustice.”

Stan Ibeabuchi added that all the conspiracy was orchestrated to ensure “Ike didn’t achieve his dream of becoming heavyweight champion of the world.”

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According to reports, on July 22, 1999, when Ibeabuchi was arrested in Las Vegas, he was reportedly in the city being courted by Don King, one of the biggest American boxing promoters.

Ibeabuchi’s late mother, Patricia, in a letter written after her son was sent to jail, had claimed that her son is a victim of the American boxing establishments.

“Cedric Kushner was hounding Ike to renew his contract with him. Ike informed Cedric he needed to shop around to have a better understanding of what his worth is, and if he matched it, he would re-sign with him. Cedric was not happy about this, because he knew he had been underpaying Ike,” Patricia wrote in the letter.

“At this time of Ike’s false imprisonment, Ike had medications forced on him, was accused (but not found to be) mentally insane. and was not given adequate legal representation. Ike lost his young life, being tried and convicted of something he did not do. Ike was intimidated, drugged, and under the effects of the drugs, dragged into the court to plead guilty by the Las Vegas public defender for alleged criminal offenses he did not commit.”