Kimbo Slice

Kimbo Slice

Slice in 2007.
Born Kevin Ferguson
(1974-02-08) February 8, 1974
Nassau, Bahamas
Other names Kimbo Slice
Nationality American
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)[1]
Weight 234 lb (106 kg; 16.7 st)
Division Heavyweight
Reach 77.0 in (196 cm)
Style Boxing
Fighting out of Miami, Florida, United States
Team American Top Team
Years active 2007–2011, 2015–present (MMA)
2011–2014 (Boxing)
Professional boxing record
Total 7
Wins 7
By knockout 6
Losses 0
Draws 0
Mixed martial arts record
Total 7
Wins 5
By knockout 3
By submission 1
By decision 1
Losses 2
By knockout 2
Other information
University University of Miami
Bethune-Cookman University
Spouse Antionette Ray
Children 6
Notable relatives Rhadi Ferguson
Notable school(s) Miami Palmetto High School
Website http://www.kimbo305.com/
Boxing record from BoxRec
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
last updated on: August 13, 2011

Kevin Ferguson (born February 8, 1974), better known as Kimbo Slice, is a Bahamian-born American boxer, mixed martial artist, and occasional actor. He became famous for mutual combat street fights which were spread across the Internet, leading Rolling Stone to call him "The King of the Web Brawlers".[2]

Slice left the underground fighting scene and signed a professional contract with EliteXC in 2007. Slice competed in The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights,[3] where he lost in his first fight to series winner Roy Nelson. In his UFC debut, Slice defeated Houston Alexander in the The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights finale. As of January 15, 2015, Slice has been under contract to Bellator MMA.[4]

Early life

Ferguson was born in Nassau, Bahamas, but moved to the United States as a child, growing up in Cutler Ridge, Florida.[5] Ferguson was raised with his two brothers by mother[6] Rosemary Clarke.[7] He went to Bel-Air Elementary School,[5] where Ferguson was reportedly involved in his first fight at 13 as he tried to defend a friend. He continued his studies with Cutler Ridge Middle School and later with Richmond Heights Middle School.[8] He attended Miami Palmetto High School, where he was the star middle linebacker.[9] In 1992, his house in Perrine, Florida was destroyed by Hurricane Andrew,[7] forcing him to live in his 1987 Nissan Pathfinder for a month.[10]

For college, he attended both Bethune-Cookman University and the University of Miami, where he held an athletic scholarship[11] and studied criminal justice.[7] He was there for only a year and a half.[12] In 1997, he had a tryout with the Miami Dolphins and was part of the pre-season squad but was unable to get a place in the first team.[8][13] Slice's cousin is United States judoka Rhadi Ferguson.[14]

Early career

Ferguson started working as a bouncer for a strip club until high school friend and current manager, Mike Imber, offered him a job as a limousine driver and bodyguard for RK Netmedia, better known as Reality Kings, a Miami-based pornography production/promotion company responsible for a number of popular adult subscription websites.[9][10] Ferguson still maintains close ties with Reality Kings who now accompany him, as his fight entourage, under the name Team Kimbo.

In 2002, he was charged for carrying a concealed weapon[10] and in 2003, he began his career in unsanctioned mutual combat street fights. They were distributed through the Internet, mainly through the adult website SublimeDirectory and YouTube. In his first taped fight against a man named Big D, Ferguson left a large cut on his opponent's right eye which led Internet fans to call him Slice, becoming the last name to his already popular childhood nickname, Kimbo.[10]

His only on-tape street fight loss was against Sean Gannon, a former Boston police officer who also trains in MMA. The popularity of the fight propelled both men into the MMA spotlight.[15]

Mixed martial arts career

In 2005, Slice started training in martial arts at the Freestyle Fighting Academy under Marcos Avellan and David Avellan. At first, Slice was training exclusively for street boxing, focusing on bare-knuckle techniques, dirty boxing from the clinch, and elbows - but then he began to develop an interest for MMA. Slice signed to make his MMA debut against former WBO Heavyweight champion and Olympic gold-medalist boxer Ray Mercer at Cage Fury Fighting Championships 5, in Atlantic City on June 23, 2007. A month prior to the fight, Slice switched camps and was trained by retired MMA fighter Bas Rutten and boxing instructor Randy Khatami at Rutten's school, EliteMMA, in Thousand Oaks, California.[16]

Slice made his MMA debut against former WBO Heavyweight champion and Olympic gold-medalist boxer Ray Mercer at Cage Fury Fighting Championships 5, in Atlantic City on June 23, 2007. The match was scheduled as a three-round exhibition utilizing all professional rules of MMA combat. Slice defeated Mercer with a guillotine choke at 1:12 into the first round.[17] In a post-fight interview, Slice stated that he would like to fight David "Tank" Abbott. Abbott, who was a spectator, stood up from his seat and accepted the call out. One of the matchmakers for CFFC asked Slice for his assurance so that an October 12 bout at Cage Fury Fighting Championships 6 between Slice and "Tank" Abbott could be organized. This event was later canceled due to a promotion dispute. On October 11, 2007, ProElite announced that they had signed Slice to a deal and that he would make his debut on the November 10, 2007 EliteXC.[18] He was originally set to make his professional MMA debut against Mike Bourke, a reformed street fighter, but a shoulder injury from Bourke led him to face Bo Cantrell.[19] Kimbo defeated Cantrell 19 seconds into the first round by submission due to strikes.

On February 16, 2008, Kimbo fought Tank Abbott in the main event at EliteXC: Street Certified. He won by KO 43 seconds into the first round due to strikes. At the fight his weight was announced at an all-time low of 234 lb (106 kg), a far cry from his street fighting days of 280 lb (130 kg).

On May 31, 2008, Kimbo fought in the main event of the first ever mixed martial arts event shown on prime time network television, EliteXC: Primetime. Though one of the judges had each fighter winning one of the first two rounds, Kimbo's opponent James Thompson won both on total points[20][21][22] by repeatedly taking down Slice and grounding and pounding. In the opening seconds of the third round, however, Kimbo threw a haymaker to Thompson's left ear, which ruptured Thompson's cauliflower. This was soon followed by three unanswered punches to a standing Thompson, which led to a referee stoppage and the controversial win for Slice. Fellow EliteXC competitor Brett Rogers was particularly critical of Slice's victory, calling Slice's performance "garbage" in a post fight interview.[23] Frank Mir was also a critic of Slice, stating in an interview that "every time Kimbo Slice fights, it sets (mixed martial arts) back".[24]

Fight with Petruzelli

On October 4, 2008, a Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock fight was supposed to take place at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida as part of CBS' Saturday Night Fights.[25][26] However, Shamrock received a cut to the left eye during a warm-up only hours before the fight was to take place.[27] This left the head of fight operations, Jeremy Lappen, to choose a replacement for the fight. Options were Seth Petruzelli, Aaron Rosa and Frank Shamrock. But Kimbo's team stated they did not want him fighting Frank no matter how much money was offered to them. So Lappen decided that Petruzelli was the best option for the main event. Slice agreed to take the fight after receiving a raise in pay, and took in $500,000.[28] Petruzelli defeated Slice by TKO 14 seconds into the first round of the bout.[29]

Interviewed on Orlando radio show The Monsters in the Morning two days after the fight, Seth Petruzelli said that when they offered him a spot in the main event, EliteXC promoters added monetary incentives to dissuade him from using certain fighting techniques against Slice, in an attempt to protect their relatively unproven Internet star.

“ The promoters kinda hinted to me and they gave me the money to stand and throw with him, they didn't want me to take him down. Let's just put it that way. It was worth my while to try and stand up punch him.[30] ”

This added to the controversy surrounding the representation of Slice as a top flight martial artist by CBS and EliteXC.[31] The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation started a preliminary investigation on the events surrounding the fight and its outcome.[32]

However, Petruzelli retracted this statement a few hours later, claiming in a follow-up interview with MMA website FiveOuncesofPain.com that his previous comments on The Monsters had been misinterpreted.

“ What was meant to be said was that I wanted to keep the fight standing for myself because I knew that was what the crowd, the promoters, and everyone wanted to see because that's more exciting than just taking someone to the ground. That was my thing only. I wanted to keep it exciting so I decided to keep it standing. It had nothing to do with anybody else. That was all me.[33] ”

On October 23, 2008, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation concluded its investigation of the bout and found no wrongdoing.[34] By the end of October 2008, EliteXC was forced to file for bankruptcy.[35] Many in the mixed martial arts community, including Jay Thompson, executive consultant to the company, attributed EliteXC and ProElite's failure due to Slice's loss to Seth Petruzelli.[36]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

After Elite Xtreme Combat ceased operations, Dana White stated that if Slice wanted to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship he would have to win his way in by competing on The Ultimate Fighter TV show. White went on to say that he might create a show with heavyweights just for Kimbo Slice if he wanted in.[37] That statement became reality on June 1, when Kevin Iole of Yahoo.com stated Slice would participate in The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights.

The coaches for the show were Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans, both former UFC Light Heavyweight Champions.[38] Slice was the number one pick for Rampage and the second pick overall. In his first fight of the show, Kimbo was defeated by Roy Nelson via TKO stoppage in the second round after repeated punches to the head in the crucifix position.[39] Kimbo later turned down the opportunity to take Matt Mitrione's place in the quarter finals after it was revealed that he had arthritis in his knee.

Slice fought Houston Alexander on December 5, 2009, at The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale at a catchweight of 215 pounds.[40] In a fight that many thought would not leave the first round, Alexander would instead spend most of the first and third rounds circling Slice tentatively with little engagement. In the second round, however, Slice landed a back suplex on Alexander, which very well may have tipped the judges' scorecards in his favor. Slice would win the bout by unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 30–27) and Alexander would be cut from the promotion only days later.

On May 8, 2010, Slice made his pay-per-view and official heavyweight debut at UFC 113 versus Matt Mitrione, losing in the second round via a TKO.[41] Following the loss, Dana White stated that it was "probably Kimbo's last fight in the UFC".[42] His release was confirmed the following day, alongside welterweight Paul Daley.[43]

Bellator MMA

On January 16, 2015, nearly five years since his last MMA fight, Bellator MMA announced that Kimbo Slice has been signed to a multi-fight MMA deal.[4] On February 26, 2015, it was announced that Kimbo Slice will fight Ken Shamrock on June 19, 2015 at Bellator 138.[44] Slice defeated Shamrock in the 1st round via TKO.

Boxing career

In August 2010, it emerged that Kimbo Slice was intending to take up a career in professional boxing. He stated "I feel like a baby all over again. I'm thinking about this at night. I'm gonna be a problem in the heavyweight division. I'm going to be coming in with a bad demeanor. I want to see what it's like to break some ribs, break a jaw with one punch. This is a career move. I love fighting. I like to knock people the fuck out. I love engaging. Maybe some people think I'm crazy."[45]

Roy Jones, Jr. has stated that he would like to fight Kimbo Slice, but claimed that Kimbo would likely have to have a number of boxing matches beforehand in order to gain experience and exposure in the sport.[46]

Slice made his pro boxing debut on August 13, 2011. Slice fought in a four-round headlining attraction against 39-year-old James Wade (0-1) at the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma.[47] He won the fight via KO at 0:10 in the first round.[48]

On October 15, Kimbo returned to the boxing ring, defeating Tay Bledsoe via KO in the first round.[49] On December 30, Kimbo defeated Charles Hackmann by unanimous decision, winning three out of four rounds.[50]

Slice's next fight was in Australia on the Anthony Mundine vs Daniel Geale undercard on January 30, 2013.[51] Slice defeated Shane Tilyard by TKO in the second round.[52]

Professional wrestling

Kimbo Slice was to make his debut in professional wrestling on February 5, 2011, against former sumo wrestler Shinichi Suzukawa at the Inoki Genome Federation's "Genome 14" event in Fukuoka, Japan;[53] he pulled out of the match due to getting injured during practice.[54]

Other media coverage

A series called "Junk Yard Training" was released on yardbarker.com and youtube.com that featured LaDainian Tomlinson, running back for the San Diego Chargers, training in Kimbo's backyard. In 2009, Kimbo starred in an antivirus software advertisement called Caterpillar vs. Kimbo.[55]

Ferguson was featured on The Iron Ring, a television series airing on BET that features MMA prospects. Slice was part of the selection process for the participants.[56] He made his official acting debut when playing Bludge on Nickelodeon's holiday special, Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh.

Personal life

Ferguson currently lives with his family in Coral Springs, Florida, and is a single father to six children; three boys and three girls.[7][8] He is engaged to long-time girlfriend, Antionette Ray.[57]

Filmography

Year Title Film/Television Role Other notes
2012 The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption Film Zulu Kondo
2010 Locked Down Film King
2010 Circle of Pain Film Reg
2009 Blood and Bone Film J.C.
2008 Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh Television Bludge

Professional boxing record

7 Wins (6 knockouts, 1 decision), 0 Losses, 0 Draws [58]
Res. Record Opponent Type Round Date Location Notes
Win 7–0 Australia Shane Tilyard KO 2 (4), 2:05 2013-01-30 Australia Entertainment Centre, Sydney, New South Wales
Win 6–0 United States Howard Jones KO 1 (4), 0:57 2012-10-06 United States Buffalo Run Casino, Miami, Oklahoma
Win 5–0 United States Jesse Porter KO 1 (4), 0:36 2012-05-12 United States Lucky Star Casino, Concho, Oklahoma
Win 4–0 United States Brian Green KO 4 (4), 2:57 2012-03-24 United States O'Reilly Center, Springfield, Missouri
Win 3–0 United States Charles Hackmann UD 4 2011-12-30 United States Buffalo Run Casino, Miami, Oklahoma
Win 2–0 United States Tay Bledsoe KO 1 (4), 2:17 2011-10-15 United States Heartland Events Center, Grand Island, Nebraska
Win 1–0 United States James Wade KO 1 (4), 0:17 2011-08-13 United States Buffalo Run Casino, Miami, Oklahoma

Professional debut.

Mixed martial arts record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 5–2 Ken Shamrock KO (punches) Bellator 138 June 19, 2015 1 2:22 St. Louis, Missouri, United States 232 lb catchweight fight
Loss 4–2 Matt Mitrione TKO (punches) UFC 113 May 8, 2010 2 4:24 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Win 4–1 Houston Alexander Decision (unanimous) Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale December 5, 2009 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States 215 lb catchweight fight
Loss 3–1 Seth Petruzelli KO (punches) EliteXC: Heat October 4, 2008 1 0:14 Sunrise, Florida, United States
Win 3–0 James Thompson TKO (punches) EliteXC: Primetime May 31, 2008 3 0:38 Newark, New Jersey, United States
Win 2–0 Tank Abbott KO (punches) EliteXC: Street Certified February 16, 2008 1 0:43 Miami, Florida, United States
Win 1–0 Bo Cantrell Submission (punches) EliteXC: Renegade November 10, 2007 1 0:19 Corpus Christi, Texas, United States

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 1–1 Roy Nelson TKO (punches) The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights June 10, 2009 2 2:01 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Preliminary round
Win 1–0 Ray Mercer Submission (guillotine choke) Cage Fury Fighting Championships V June 23, 2007 1 1:12 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States

References

  1. ↑ "Kimbo Slice". Official UFC Profile. Ultimate Fighting Championship. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  2. ↑ Woods, Sean (July 28, 2006), "Online: A Never-Ending Supply of Gruesome Street-Fighting", Rolling Stone, archived from the original on May 14, 2009, retrieved May 18, 2012
  3. ↑ Iole, Kevin. "Y! Sports exclusive: Kimbo gets TUF - UFC - Yahoo! Canada Sports". Ca.sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  4. 1 2 Rooke, Neil. "Bellator MMA Adds Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson to Roster". Combat Press. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  5. 1 2 "BIO: Kimbo Slice". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved October 18, 2008.
  6. ↑ Kimbo Slice vs. Seth Petruzelli - Pre-Match Video
  7. 1 2 3 4 Linda, Robertson (February 10, 2008). There is another side to Kimbo Slice Archived from the original on February 7, 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 "Jimmy Kimmel Live! interview with Kimbo Slice". Jimmy Kimmel Live!. February 7, 2008.
  9. 1 2 "Episode dated 11 December 2007". E:60. December 11, 2007.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Le Batard, Dan. "NOT QUITE WHAT YOU WERE THINKING". ESPN. Retrieved October 18, 2008.
  11. ↑ "FIGHTER BIO: Kimbo Slice (Nov07)". ProElite. Retrieved October 18, 2008.
  12. ↑ "Two Worlds, One Cage". Cage Fury Fighting Championships. June 23, 2007. Archived from the original on July 1, 2007. Retrieved July 9, 2007.
  13. ↑ Robb, Sharon (October 2, 2008). "To family, MMA star Kimbo Slice is a hulk with heart". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved October 18, 2008.
  14. ↑ "Kimbo Slice Fights". Kimboslice.org. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  15. ↑ Wedge, Dave (September 16, 2005). "'Ultimate' cop bashes rules, back in ring". Boston Herald. Archived from the original (Reprint) on September 29, 2007. Retrieved June 17, 2007.
  16. ↑ http://www.efaceclub.com/videos/dm/x2n2un/watch-kimboffanews.html
  17. ↑ Genia, Jim (March 20, 2007). "Former Heavyweight Boxing Champ to Take on Kimbo Slice". Full Contact Fighter. Archived from the original on July 16, 2007. Retrieved March 21, 2007.
  18. ↑ SamCaplan.proelite.com » Exclusive: Gary Shaw comments on Kimbo Slice and Nick Diaz signings: EliteXC, Gary Shaw, Kimbo Slice, Nick Diaz: SamCaplan article
  19. ↑ "'Showtime' for Kimbo, Noons". Sherdog.com. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  20. ↑ "EliteXC "Primetime" aftermath: Kimbo Slice needs work, Brett Rogers wants a piece". Fight Ticker. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  21. ↑ Young, Rob. "Exclusive: Judges Scorecards for Slice/Thompson". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  22. ↑ EliteXC wrap. archived from the original on February 7, 2014.
  23. ↑ "Primetime pressure nearly sinks Kimbo - Mixed Martial Arts - NBCSports.com". Nbcsports.msnbc.com. June 1, 2008. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  24. ↑ "Frank Mir says every time Kimbo Slice fights it sets the sport back in new exclusive 5 Oz. Interview". Five Ounces of Pain. September 21, 2008. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  25. ↑ "Kimbo Slice to Fight Ken Shamrock | MMA-Live - UFC News, Results, Videos and UFC Betting". MMA-Live. August 25, 2008. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  26. ↑ "Shamrock Gets Next Shot at ‘Slice’". Sherdog.com. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  27. ↑ "EliteXC 'Heat' Play-by-Play". Sherdog.com. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  28. ↑ ""EliteXC: Heat" salaries: Arlvoski and "Kimbo" top earners with $500K". MMAjunkie.com. October 6, 2008. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  29. ↑ Meltzer, Dave (May 17, 2011). "Kimbo TKOd by no-name in 14 seconds". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  30. ↑ "Monsters in the Morning interview with Seth Petruzelli". WTKS-FM. October 6, 2008.
  31. ↑ Wetzel, Dan (October 5, 2008). "Final curtain for the Kimbo show". Yahoo! Sports.
  32. ↑ Pugmire, Lance (October 9, 2008). "Slice-Petruzelli fight under investigation". Los Angeles Times.
  33. ↑ Caplan, Seth (October 6, 2008). "Petruzelli disputes reports he received a bribe to keep Slice fight a standup affair". FiveOunceOfPain.com.
  34. ↑ "ProElite exonerated of wrongdoing in Slice-Petruzelli fight". Sports.espn.go.com. October 23, 2008. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  35. ↑ Pugmire, Lance (October 22, 2008). "Mixed martial arts' Elite XC to file for bankruptcy". Los Angeles Times.
  36. ↑ Pugmire, Lance (October 22, 2008). "Mixed martial arts' Elite XC to file for bankruptcy". Los Angeles Times.
  37. ↑ Kiue, David (October 27, 2008), "Dana White offers Kimbo Slice a spot on "The Ultimate Fighter"", KocoSports.com, retrieved May 18, 2012
  38. ↑ Caplan, Seth (June 1, 2009). "Y! Sports exclusive: Kimbo gets TUF". yahoo.com.
  39. ↑ "Kimbo Slice vs Roy Nelson Results". Retrieved October 1, 2009.
  40. ↑ "Houston Alexander applying for NSAC license, meeting Kimbo at TUF 10 Finale?". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved October 29, 2009.
  41. ↑ "Kimbo Slice vs. Matt Mitrone Official for UFC 113 on May 8 in Montreal". mmafrenzy.com. Retrieved February 22, 2010.
  42. ↑ "White: Slice "Probably" Out the UFC's Door". sherdog.com. Retrieved May 10, 2010.
  43. ↑ Pugmire, Lance (May 9, 2009). "UFC boss confirms he's 'fired' Kimbo Slice and welterweight Paul Daley". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
  44. ↑ "Kimbo Slice Ken Shamrock to Headline Bellator Unfinished Business on June 20".
  45. ↑ Couturier, Jeremy (August 27, 2010). "Kimbo Slice Has Jumped to Boxing, Roy Jones Jr. Says He's Willing to Fight Him". Bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  46. ↑ "Roy Jones Jr: "I might give it to Kimbo"". Fighthype.com. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  47. ↑ "Opponent Announced for ‘Kimbo Slice’ Boxing Debut". Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  48. ↑ "UFC vet Kimbo Slice proves victorious in professional boxing debut". Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  49. ↑ "Boxing News: Kimbo Slice Returns to the Ring October 15th".
  50. ↑ "Boxing News: Kimbo Slice wins, now 3-0 in boxing".
  51. ↑ UFC star Kimbo Slice is on the undercard of the Daniel Geale-Anthony Mundine fight and will take on anyone Daily Telegraph Au
  52. ↑ Kimbo pounds Tilyard in wild brawl Herald Sun Au
  53. ↑ "Kimbo Slice to Make Pro-Wrestling Debut on Feb. 5". Sherdog.com. January 18, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  54. ↑ "Kimbo Slice Pulls Out of Wrestling Debut". Retrieved February 5, 2011.
  55. ↑ Caterpillar vs. Kimbo - An antivirus software advertisement starring Kimbo Slice.
  56. ↑ Hunt, Loretta (March 16, 2007). "AM Update March 16". The Fight Network. Archived from the original on March 23, 2007. Retrieved March 21, 2007.
  57. ↑ Alicia Doyle. "Outside the fight world, Ferguson is a soft-spoken father of six children — three girls and three boys —who is engaged to his long-time love, Antionette". Venturacountystar.com. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  58. ↑ "Kevin Ferguson - Boxer". boxrec.com.

External links

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