Will Kimbo Slice Inject Excitement into Heavyweight Boxing?
Written by playerpress.com, Wednesday July 06 2011
This is arguably the worst era of heavyweight boxing since the sport began. The Klitschko brothers have been the dominant forces in it for several years now and there’s even some question to their skill level. Things might liven up a little when mixed martial arts fighter Kimbo Slice (Kevin Ferguson) takes the plunge into heavyweight boxing.
Slice is scheduled to debut with a pair of 10-ounce gloves on Aug. 13 down at Miami Oklahoma’s Buffalo Run Casino. It’ll just be a four-round bout and there’s no television coverage scheduled as of yet. In fact there hasn’t even been an opponent named. Nobody knows if the fight will take place since Slice announced he wanted to enter boxing last year, but changed his mind.
This time it looks like a go though as his promoter Gary Shaw said Slice has been working out in Loa Angeles for the last three months in preparation of his ring debut. Shaw admitted that he doesn’t know how successful Slice will be, but he’s powerful and strong and the heavyweight division is currently pretty weak. Slice is also 37 years old and he’s never fought a top-ranked boxer before.
But Shaw said Slice will know deep down inside if he’s bitten off more than he can chew and if he has he won’t hesitate to pack it in. He added that Slice doesn’t want to make a fool of himself in the boxing ring.
There are those who feel Slice has a pretty good chance it making a decent splash in boxing because he’s got a heavy punch, but as we’ve seen in the past, that’s no guarantee of success. Having decent power isn’t much help if you can’t find put yourself in the position to use it.
Shaw said Slice is 100 per cent committed to boxing now while his heart wasn’t totally in it last year. He figures this will make a big difference once the bell rings in his first bout. He feels Slice is at his best when he’s hungry and determined, and he’s proved that by training away from his family for the past few months.
Slice has already cracked one combat sport when he became a hit in mixed martial arts with no pro experience. He actually got his start via the internet when videos of his backyard brawls were streamed all over the world and within a few years had become one of the most recognizable faces in mixed martial arts.
He started out in the former Elite XC competition and then headed over to the UFC for a few fights and a shot in the Ultimate Fighter television series where he was beaten in his first match. He also lost in UFC 113 when Matt Mitrione stopped him in the second round and found himself without a contract the very next day.
Slice is 6-foot-2 and weighs about 225 pounds, which makes him an average sized heavyweight these days. He could be successful if he’s a fast learner and starts out fighting against limited opposition. But there’s not really much point to starting a boxing career if you’re going to be a four-round club fighter. Sooner or later he’ll have to take on some bigger names and this will be the true test for Slice.
However, you get the feeling that as long as he’s competitive and brings some excitement to the heavyweight division, he’ll be deemed a success.
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