CagePotato Ban: Kimbo Slice - Mike Tyson Comparisons
Let’s get something straight: Kimbo Slice is not Mike Tyson. He’s not a Tyson-like figure. There’s no “aura of Tyson” around him, no impending “Kimbo Slice’s Punch Out” ready to hit shelves. It’s a bad analogy. If you don’t believe me, just look at the people who keep making it.
First it was Gary Shaw, who kept bringing it up in last week’s media conference call. His thesis was, essentially, that while Kimbo doesn’t have many fights he does have the same kind of energy and popularity that made Tyson a star in the eighties and early nineties.
It’s not hard to see why Shaw likes this comparison. Just as Don King made a lot of money off “Iron Mike”, Shaw stands to do the same in regards to Kimbo. I don’t fault Shaw for drawing the comparison and attempting to force it on others. He’s a promoter. That’s what he does. But the rest of us should know better than to swallow that message without thinking about it.
For instance, Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports starts a recent column with this sentence: “It’s hardly a stretch to suggest that Kimbo Slice is the Mike Tyson of the 21st century.”
Really? It’s not a stretch to suggest that a guy with a 3-0 pro record is the 21st century version of a once-dominant heavyweight boxing champion? Seriously?
Let’s imagine for a moment that this is a true statement. If it were, it would prove only that the 21st century is dumber than the late 20th century. It would mean that we live in a time that values the cult of celebrity over actual accomplishment, and that we have become so obsessed with fame that we have lost the ability to make qualitative value judgments.
This isn’t a knock on Kimbo. I’m not saying Kimbo isn’t talented or that he won’t accomplish anything in the sport, only that he hasn’t yet. Consider that when Tyson turned pro he’d already become a national Golden Gloves champion and had more than twenty amateur fights to his credit. He went on to become the youngest heavyweight champ in boxing history before his colossal collapse.
Kimbo hasn’t done anything meaningful in the sport of MMA as of yet. Even if it were accurate to compare him to Tyson, it would just mean that as a century this one is off to a very stupid start.
I’d like to think that isn’t true. I’d like to think that we are not just a generation of raccoons who love any shiny object so much that we can’t tell the difference between stainless steel and a ball of tinfoil. Then again, I’d like to think that someone who writes about sports for a living would do his own thinking before buying Gary Shaw’s hazy logic about Kimbo’s mass appeal.
Shaw told Iole that Kimbo is a superstar right now because he has an “it factor” that is evident when they go to restaurants together.
“I’ve been to a high-class steakhouse with Kimbo and I’ve seen it,” Shaw said. “People, not just the young kids, all stand up and say, ‘Kimbo! Hey, there’s Kimbo!’
“You could take most of the best fighters in the world and have them walk into a place like that and the maître d would say, ‘OK, we’ll have a table for you in 40 minutes.’ Kimbo is a superstar right now, and he’s only going to get bigger.”
This is exactly my point, this kind of reasoning that Shaw spouts off and Iole accepts. Kimbo is a “superstar” because he is recognized in public. He’s a star because he’s treated like one, because people have seen his face. He’s famous because he’s famous.
It’s a terrible logic that conflates being recognized in steakhouses with having climbed to the pinnacle of a given field, the way Tyson did. It’s a useless comparison that only serves to make the person who believes it look absolutely clueless.
Enough. Kimbo Slice is not Mike Tyson. They’re both black, they’re both fighters, they’re both famous. The same is true of “Rampage” Jackson. At least he has established himself as a legitimate champion.
Maybe if Dana White can prove Jackson’s celebrity status to Iole with a trip to Ruth’s Chris we can start making “Rampage”-Tyson comparisons. It would be a welcome improvement.
(-Ben Fowlkes)
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May 19th, 2008 at 9:18 am
Well done, Ben!
I don’t get the comparison either. Kimbo’s got a long way to go to get close to filling Tyson’s shoes. That being said, I think Kimbo has a boatload of potential.
And a very good point with the Rampage/Tyson comparison.
I remember combing my mullet and putting on my super high waist Z-Cavariche pants and seeing Tyson fight in Atlantic City. The man was a killing machine. It’s too bad he lost his freakin’ mind…
May 19th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Tyson was actually supposed to rep the USA during the ‘84 LA Olympics before getting robbed in a split decision.
Jesus, what if man…..
May 19th, 2008 at 9:48 am
Nice article.. I could not agree more. You can’t even compare him to Rampage. However I do like Kimbo’s approach so far, his camp understands he is not at a high caliber yet so he gets the lower end of the fighter totem pole, the complete opposite of Brock Lesner. I also like how kimbo comes across on TV and in interviews, he is not a bad ambassador of the sport. He seems respectful and determined which has to be admired. He does not have the experience yet but hopefully after his next fight he will get some more quality opponents.
May 19th, 2008 at 9:56 am
Clap…
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Clap…clap…clapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclap…
May 19th, 2008 at 9:59 am
From what I’ve read, most people talk about Kimbo vs. Tyson in light of their popularity and the hype and excitement that surrounds them. In that sense, I think it’s absolutely an apt comparison. It’s true, there are few MMA stars that garner as much curiosity or interest in the sport other than Kimbo. I don’t see too many people comparing Tyson’s dominance to Kimbo’s, so I think you may be equating hype comparisons to skill comparisons, which is unfair because that’s simply not what they’re saying. Now, then, I assume your beef is that Kimbo is not worth the hype yet, which may be true, but it doesn’t mean he isn’t generating excitement. But there is no doubt that Kimbo is generating a lot of excitement and hype, and I don’t think these people are equating Kimbo’s hype to accomplishments, simply that this is a man that is generating interest in the sport beyond what most fighters have done, which is exciting.
May 19th, 2008 at 10:04 am
Man im so sick of the kimbo hype, just put him against a real fighter and get his destroyed to shut everyone the fuck up.
May 19th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Ben, great article. I like having you around here. *stands up, claps*
May 19th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Are they really not that different? They both abused bitches in their backyard.
May 19th, 2008 at 10:25 am
You can compare Kimbo to Nicole Ritchie as easily as to Tyson. They’re both famous for being famous, internet buzz-ready in an age of NOW! Though the payout on a Paris-Nicole match would probably garner a bit higher penny then any Kimbo-Meat Puppet fight.
Bravo on the article.
May 19th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Why people are sick of the Kimbo “hype” is beyond me.
No one is saying that he is the next HW champion, or an accomplished or well rounded fighter. He is exciting and puts behinds on the seats. End of argument!
It is pretty stupid to dedicate articles bashing Kimbo or comparisons that are made towards him based on a couple of knuckleheads, which cause people to hate Kimbo.
All Kimbo has done in MMA is thanked everyone, acknowledges that he is very green and will take tons of work and training to become a better fighter, and is very humble and appreciative of the opportunity that was given to him.
Look at the UFC. One of their upcoming shows will be headlined by Brock Lesnar and the ever aging Coleman, who should not really be fighting anymore. People get upsed that Kimbo is going to be the main event when the UFC is doing the same with Lesnar. It is all about selling PPVs and filling up the arenas, and if white could put Kimbo vs Lesnar, he would do it in a heart beat.
May 19th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Nice job Ben! Plainly stated, and puts that suck-up Iole in his place.
You are a great addition to this site, and you actually bring more than just the incessant top ten lists. Nice work. You have done for Cage Potato what Ram Marmba did for 5 oz. of Pain!!!
May 19th, 2008 at 11:03 am
I predict that the popular MMA message board phrase “You TUF Noob” will be replaced with “You Kimbo noob” any day now.
May 19th, 2008 at 11:38 am
Mike Tyson > Youtube > Kimbo > CagePotato > the sum of the Ben’s > expensive steakhouse > cheap steakhouse > Gary Shaw > Kevin Iole
Well done.
May 19th, 2008 at 11:38 am
I was going to grease you up some. But everything has been said. Greeeeaaat article. Very nice addition to the potato crew
May 19th, 2008 at 11:47 am
kimbo’s hype is nowhere near what Tysons was, everyone in every country knew who mike tyson was back in the day.
May 19th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Great post….I think Kimbo could learn from the mistakes of Tyson, but other than that there is no real comparison if you ask me….
May 19th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Wait, so you’re saying Kimbo is not the best fighter in the world? He’s undefeated. C’mon, how much more does the guy have to do? I think you’re really asking too much.
May 19th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
If someone shaved Kimbo’s beard in the middle of the night, would he still be popular in the morning?
May 19th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Joseph, this isn’t about Kimbo himself, this is about people hyping the shit out of him and equating Kimbo’s celebrity with Tyson’s dominance over the HW division in his day. Most people aren’t necessarily sick of Kimbo himself, they’re sick of him getting hyped to no end and equated with world-class athletes after beating 3 fat old men who couldn’t even present a challenge for him. I’d love Kimbo if they marketed him as what he was - but they don’t.
May 19th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
@Gregger - Kimbo should just shave his beard except the middle and have the world’s first Beardhawk. It would be like Mr. T, in reverse. Mike Tyson would have nothing on that.
May 19th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
I dont think Kimbo himself has ever equated himself with the best fighters in the sport. Unfortunately for him, all this hype that has been built around him by promoters is probably bad for his career. If he fights, and loses to a legitamate fighter, he is gonna have a hell of a time winning back hi respect.
May 19th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
when kimbo goes 19-0 we can start makin comparisons to tyson but until then we need to at least give him credit for what he has done
May 19th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
i meen he did beat the hell outa tank abbott
May 20th, 2008 at 1:00 am
All these Kimbo bashers are newbs who don’t know who Bas Rutten is.
May 20th, 2008 at 8:36 am
we are all forgetting he has lost - against some copper. That was in his early “ametuer” days
May 20th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Kimbo will be the next HW champion mark my words!
August 27th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
Kimbo is nothing compared to mike tyson
sure he can fight, but nothing to what mike tyson accomplished
great article
September 20th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
kimbo aint iron mike……. rampage is.
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:21 pm
The Mike Tyson-Kimbo comparison is based on fighting style alone. The way he “sits down” on his punches, the upper body movement, the explosiveness for his size. Of course I wouldn’t expect fans of MMA to know about these terms, worshiping fighters like Lindell who’s best move is landing wild looping lucky punches to the heads of unsuspecting wrestlers with their hands down.