Kimbo Hits the Canvas

There’s a time in every son’s life when he believes that his dad is superman, the toughest guy on the block. For most of us, that illusion is shattered by the time we’re nine. Then again, most of our dads aren’t street fightin’, porn star guardin’, pseudonym sportin’ YouTube superstars.

Bearded brawler Kevin Ferguson rose to internet infamy fighting in Miami’s backyards, street corners, and wharves under the nome de punch “Kimbo Slice”. While he lacked pro experience, he had what many veteran MMA fighters so desperately desire: a name. Seeing an opportunity to draw curious, casual viewers, start-up MMA promotion EliteXC signed Slice to a series of bouts against equally one dimensional brawlers. Already 3-0 in the organization, Slice was slated to take on UFC pioneer Ken Shamrock—who was on a five fight skid—in the highly promoted main event of the CBS broadcast “EliteXC- Heat”. True to form, “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” pulled out of the event on the morning of the fight after sustaining a “freak cut” in a “training mishap”, sending the promoters scrambling to find a last minute substitute. Luckily they needed only to look slightly lower on the card where they spotted former UFC competitor Seth Petruzelli. Petruzelli was bumped up a weight class and into the spotlight against Slice. It only took fourteen seconds and one off-balance jab to crumble Kimbo. Following EliteXC’s marketing of Slice as an indestructible juggernaut, there were plenty of shocked fans in the audience, but none of them could match the disbelief and agony of Slice’s son following the humiliating loss.

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