In his latest book, Mika “Immu” Ilmén offers a candid glimpse into the tumultuous events surrounding the Ice Cage boxing match, where it all went awry for him.
Ilmén, once embroiled in a troubled past, reflects on his experiences in freedom in Immu – Ups, Downs, and Pitfalls (Bazar), a work curated by Janne Ahjopalo. He revisits the gripping main event from last spring’s wrestling showcase, where he faced off against Joni “Stagala” Takala. The bout, however, concluded quite abruptly — within a mere ten seconds, Ilmén found himself awakening on the canvas, having been knocked out.
“It was a jolt to the system,” Ilmén recounts. “When I came to, I asked my corner man, Puku, where I was. He replied, ‘In a boxing match,’ and my retort was, ‘Don’t laugh, I’m a hundred years old.’”
Disoriented and bewildered, Ilmén recalls how his wife Jonna rushed over to inform him about the match. “I still couldn’t grasp it; I told her, ‘I’m a 54-year-old guy. Don’t mess with me,’” he shares in the book. Jonna, however, insisted that he had just participated in a significant event — one that netted him earnings equivalent to a luxury car, a staggering sum exceeding 100,000 euros, accrued from match fees and commercial endorsements.
Prior to the match, Ilmén faced a significant hurdle; his weight had plummeted to 96.5 kilograms due to dehydration. He found himself feeling unsteady and drenched in cold sweat as he prepared in the locker room of the Helsinki venue. Reflecting on his experience, he acknowledges, “I never want to lose nearly 30 kilos for a fight again.”
He humorously remarks, “That young guy who defeated me had a physique in far better shape. He wasn’t a dehydrated fool. What can I say?”
On to Kurdistan
After his defeat to Stagala, Ilmén promptly re-emerged in the public eye, appearing on Iltalehti’s Ukkola just a week later. Yet, in the days that followed, his sudden absence sparked curiosity on social media. Kenneth Eriksson, a former police officer and podcast collaborator, expressed concern on Instagram, revealing he hadn’t heard from Ilmén for days and that he’d missed a scheduled recording.
Although this moment is glossed over in his book, it seems Ilmén had vanished from the limelight. Just days prior on Ukkola, he had disclosed that dehydration had severely affected his kidneys during the match.
The mystery of his disappearance was uncovered when Seiska reported that Ilmén had headed to Kurdistan, a promise he made should he lose to Stagala. “I managed to get Seiska to fund the trip,” he reveals. “One highlight was dining at a prime minister’s advisor’s villa in the stunning mountains of northern Iraq, a place that boasted impressive security.”
His travels through Kurdistan showcased both the region’s wealth and its struggles, providing him the opportunity to engage with locals about political matters and the ongoing quest for Kurdistan’s independence.
Quotes from Immu – Nousut, lakut ja sudenkopat (Bazar), edited by Janne Ahjopalo.