"The President's Return:

Ibeabuchi Loses WBB Title Bid to Towolawi"!

December 24th, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos, Nigeria: This past, Wednesday, in a stunning all-Nigerian Christmas Eve showdown, Lagos's own Kabiru "KB Godson" Towolawi claimed the little-recognized WBB Heavyweight title with a grueling twelve-round unanimous decision over Abuja's, Ike "The President" Ibeabuchi.

"The Presidents" career was derailed by legal issues, including a 1997 sentence for false imprisonment related to the abduction of his ex-girlfriend's son, and a 1999 conviction for battery with intent to commit great bodily harm, resulting in prison time. After spending more than two decades in U.S. prisons and immigration detention—where he earned an associate degree in general studies, business, and management—Ibeabuchi, diagnosed with bipolar disorder and reportedly evaluated for neurological damage consistent with long-term boxing trauma, was released after his main conviction was overturned. The Nevada Supreme Court ruled his 1999 legal proceedings were fundamentally flawed. Released from Arizona probation in 2020, Ibeabuchi was deported to Nigeria where he restarted his career in August 2025 with a third-round stoppage of 41-year-old Lagos journeyman Idris "Finito" Afinni.

In his latest step toward breaking George Foreman's record as the oldest heavyweight champion—and eventually challenging Oleksandr Usyk—the story was volume and control.

With no knockdowns recorded, the still heavy handed, 52-year-old, Ibeabuchi pressed forward throughout, loading up on single right and left hooks that demonstrated still-formidable power. However, the smaller, busier Towolawi controlled the real estate with superior footwork, sharp angles, and straight right hands of his own, piling up clean scoring shots to dominate most rounds. The judges scored it 117–111, 115–113, and 115–114, all for Towolawi. With his first defeat "The President" slips to 21-1, 16Ko’s.