Heavyweight boxer’s trial for sexual assault delayed

Bill Gang

Tuesday, Nov. 30, 1999 | 10 a.m.

The Dec. 6 sexual assault trial for heavyweight boxer Ikemufula "Ike" Ibeabuchi -- who is free on $750,000 bail -- has been postponed until Feb. 22.

District Judge Joseph Bonaventure rescheduled the trial after defense attorney Richard Wright argued Monday that he was hired only recently to represent Ibeabuchi and there still are pretrial issues to be decided by the judge.

The principal issue involved a desire by prosecutors to present evidence to a jury about allegations of similar sexual misconduct by the burly boxer when he lived in Arizona, although no charges were filed in those cases. A court hearing on the issue is scheduled for Dec. 9.

Ibeabuchi was not in court Monday, which drew a caution from the judge that the situation should not be repeated.

This was the first hearing since Bonaventure reduced the bail from $3 million to $750,000 on the sexual assault and kidnapping charges involving the alleged violent molestation of an outcall entertainer he had summoned to his Strip hotel room.

As part of Ibeabuchi's release on bail, Bonaventure mandated that he remain in Las Vegas on house arrest, surrender his passport and have no contact with outcall entertainment services.

In addition to the sex counts, there are additional charges against Ibeabuchi alleging he attacked a corrections officer at the Clark County Detention Center.