Boxing Needs a Slice of Kimbo
I’m not sure if this a great marketing idea or a sad commentary on the state of the heavyweight division in boxing — or both — but if I am a boxing promoter I would be trying to sign Kimbo Slice to dump MMA for the sweet science.
If you don’t know the name, Kimbo was a You Tube sensation as a backyard brawler, who then got into mixed martial arts and headlined a couple televised cards until he got knocked out.
Now he is a contestant on the current season on Spike’s Ultimate Fighter UFC reality show. And in the episode that aired Wednesday night, he lost his first-round match-up when he got exposed for having no idea how to maneuver a UFC ring.
Here’s the bottom line – Slice has sledgehammers for hands, but has no idea how to fight when the contest goes to the ground – a must if you are going to succeed in MMA.
But Slice has one other thing, and he has it to spare – charisma. And I mean tons of it. His interview clips on Ultimate Fighter are fantastic, he is infinitely likeable and absolutely hysterical. That’s why all the promos for next week’s episode are totally centered on teasing a possible Slice comeback.
Now let’s talk about the heavyweight division in boxing. It’s a disaster. The latest heavyweight “title” fight featured Vitali Klitschko systematically abusing yet another pretender on HBO last weekend. Perhaps the greatest entertainment value during the fight came from my wife and friends who came over the fight, as we constantly tried to one-up each other with constant plays on the last name of said pretender: Arreola.
Basically, the heavyweight division stinks because there are two brothers who in essence share the heavyweight championship, and they have vowed never to fight each other. The problem is that there is no one – and I mean no one – within sight of the Klitschkos from a talent perspective. Every couple months, one of them goes out – usually in a packed arena in Germany – and disposed of some falsely built-up contender with a very methodical approach that rarely fails – and worse yet – only moderately entertains.
Starting to see the marriage? In one corner, you have a heavy-handed, charismatic brawler with a built-in following who can fight standing up but has no clue what to do on the ground. In the other corner, a heavyweight division devoid of anything remotely interesting, crying out for some sort of injection of personality.
Now I am not saying throw Slice in there against a Klitschko tomorrow, I’m talking about some fights to get his feet wet and build some interest. The tune-in would be great from the outset to see if one of the best-known brawlers is better suited for the ring than the octagon. Plus his personality could absolutely carry an installment of HBO’s award-winning 24/7 reality series leading up to a fight.
But no matter who he fought, Slice would do something to heavyweight boxing that no one has been able to do in too long – get people to remotely care.
jr commented:
MMA is wack and i agree with the fact that boxing is one of the most difficult sports, u can put an idiot from the streets in mma and he have a WAY better chance in winning than boxing.
al commented:
Meh, typical MMA fanatic. Leave him alone, with he boner over tribal tattoos, Affliction shirts and Dana White... I'm sure he has never even stepped into a ring or Octagon.
billy commented:
no boxer has ever won in mma and never will. it is to skilled a sport. kimbo woUld win the bixing title in a year if he tried it b/c boxers are pUssies.
ivan commented:
so "Every couple months, one of them goes out – usually in a packed arena in Germany" yet "Slice would do something to heavyweight boxing that no one has been able to do in too long – get people to remotely care." So people are packing an arena for something they don't care about? And please spare me the Germany thing, the brothers have consistenly drawn 14k+ in Staples and MSG.
Hollywood commented:
Kimbo should look into other avenues like pitching himself as the NEW Mister T...bring back the A Team!He would be richer than any boxer or MMA persona. You go Kimbo!
Cotto Fan commented:
Give this writer a chance. He probably doesn't really feel that way but he's trying to make a dollar. He is a HUSTLER! He will say anything to get jack-offs like ourselves to get all stirred up. So relax some of you...Get a pap smear and stop bitchin'!
This Guy is a Clown. commented:
Awful article. Obviously a mainstream media guy who does not understand the sport of boxing. A Kimbo Slice would not a make a single difference, but instead would make a mockery out of the sport, the way it has done for mixed martial arts.
Shane commented:
Ditto! This guy is an idiot!
I myself enjoy the art of boxing and all the technical proficiency required to master it. Im not looking for two guerrillas to get in the ring and bash it out. I love to watch two technical fighters try to tear each other down and find a way into the other for either a KO or for the Win on points. Now if these two happen to also be heavy hitters...well, then that does make it a better show.
Boxing=Still King commented:
RETARD! Gary Shaw wanted Kimbo to try Boxing an we'll he knew he'd have NO SHOT so he tried the circus that is the UFC and he couldn't even make it there! Boxing is AN ART that takes YEARS to perfect!
gumba commented:
What a horrible, horrible idea. Kimbo couldn't beat up a journeyman. Keep the circus shows in MMA.
LEON commented:
Kimbo is too old to start a career in boxing. I'm fine with watching Vitali Klitschko handle business. Putting Kimbo into the mix would hurt the legitimacy of boxing. Nobody wants to see a Kimbo...trust me. I wouldn't want to see him in an Am's fight never mind a pro. Sometimes I think Atlas is right about the whole internet writing thing.
jason commented:
this writer seriously has no idea!!
kimbo slice in boxing...the guy is stiff as an ironing board
Bubba commented:
He could not even trade with Big Country Nelson. Kimbo would get schooled in his first real boxing match and then he would be a two sport loser. (at least he would have more money tyhan Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson combined though)
ol commented:
what an idiot you are!! if you havent boxed before and u get knocked out in ufc ( a place for people not gifted or tough enough to enter a boxing ring) how the hell can u compete in THE most difficult/physically punshing sport in the world..... kimbo slice wouldnt last 2minutes with even a jounreyman heavyweight, if u think otherwise you are a complete and utter IDOIT without a clue about boxing! FOOL!