By Peter Akinbo

Ike ?The President? Ibeabuchi has called out heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk after his highly anticipated ring comeback ended in a third-round technical knockout victory over Idris Afinni at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos on Saturday night.

The 52-year-old unbeaten fighter improved his record to 21-0 (16 KOs) after forcing Afinni to retire in his corner at the end of the third round, marking his first bout in 26 years.

?I was catching him with good punches, I was banging him down with body shots, and sooner or later I believed he was going to wear down,? Ibeabuchi said after the victory.

?I thought he was about to come out for round four, but I had landed some punches on his body, and a wise man would not want to come out.?

With his ring return complete, Ibeabuchi wasted no time in setting his sights on bigger targets, specifically Ukrainian heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.

?Now, I want to fight Usyk. I am 21-0, with 16 knockouts, why can?t he fight him? If he wants me to fight more, I will fight more. I love fighting, but I want him before time elapses,? Ibeabuchi declared.

Afinni, 18-9-2 (15), showed respect for his opponent after sharing the ring with the boxing legend, saying, ?Do you think there can be a bigger fighter than ?Ike?? I don?t think so, he?s the world?s best.?

Nigerian Boxing Board of Control General Secretary Remi Aboderin had defended the decision to sanction the bout featuring the 52-year-old Ibeabuchi.

?Age is just a number. Ibeabuchi said he felt as young as he felt some 25 years ago. He had submitted his medicals, results showed he was in good shape, thus the NBBofC had no choice but to sanction the fight,? Aboderin said.

?Boxing was what he knew how to do best; he earned his living through the sport, and in this case, he was not having any undue advantage over his opponent as they both weighed in at the heavyweight class.?

Aboderin added that Ibeabuchi?s lifestyle had kept him in remarkable condition despite his lengthy absence from the ring saying, ?Because of the lifestyle he lived, there was no wear and tear of any significance on him, this guy had dedicated his life to the sport, it would have been as if the boxing world had ganged up against him if he was not allowed to step into the ring once more to show his prowess, and this the NBBofC deemed fit to do.

?If the international world could sanction a Mike Tyson of 58 years of age to box against a Jake Paul of 27 years, nothing except medicals should stop us from sanctioning a 51-year-old fighting against a 40-year-old.?

NBBofC President Dr Rafiu Ladipo described the event as ?a testament to the enduring spirit of boxing and the remarkable dedication of athletes who refuse to let time define their limits.?

Ibeabuchi, who was considered one of the most feared heavyweight prospects of the 1990s, had been imprisoned following legal troubles after his last fight in 1999, when he stopped Chris Byrd. He was released in 2015 but later violated his probation, serving an additional four years before his final release.(PUNCH)

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