Shamrock welcomes opportunity to test Kimbo's mettle
By Franklin McNeil
Special to ESPN.com
 |
|
| With an MMA record of 3-0, Kimbo Slice, right, is still learning his way around the cage. |
After months of speculation, EliteXC heavyweight Kimbo Slice has an opponent for his Oct. 4 date at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla.
Slice, whose real name is Kevin Ferguson, will face veteran mixed martial artist Ken Shamrock. The fight will air on CBS.
There had been talk of Slice facing Brett Rogers. Tension between the two began on May 31 in Newark, N.J., where Rogers made disparaging remarks about Slice's performance against James Thompson.
After Slice and Rogers exchanged words, it was widely believed they would face each other this year. But after much deliberation, executives at EliteXC decided on Shamrock.
"Ken Shamrock poses serious threats to Kimbo Slice's maturation in the MMA game," EliteXC vice president Jared Shaw told ESPN.com. "He is a veteran of the sport and widely considered one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time.
 |
|
| Ken Shamrock can't wait to get his hands on Slice. |
"It's an enormous fight to the casual fan as well as the hard-core fan. The hard-core fan, they've grown up with Ken Shamrock. He will be looking to put an illustrious finish on a storied career."
Shamrock, 44, will look to end a five-fight skid with a win over Slice. In his most recent fight on March 8, Shamrock was stopped during the first round by Robert Berry. Despite his slump, Shamrock is confident he can handle Slice.
"I welcome this opportunity," Shamrock said. "Kimbo has had some success. He's big, he's strong and he hits with his heavy hands, but anybody that is a veteran in this sport understands that unless you have a lot of time in the ring, you have not been tested completely.
"Kimbo's ground skills have not yet been tested, and I have the ability to test him. He hasn't seen anything yet."
The 34-year-old Slice is undefeated in three sanctioned mixed martial arts fights -- he defeated former heavyweight boxing champion Ray Mercer in an MMA exhibition bout on June 23, 2007. But Slice received lots of criticism after struggling to defeat Thompson.
Slice started strong in that bout, but as the fight wore on he showed fatigue. By the second round, Thompson was able to control him on the ground. Some ringside observers, including Rogers, claim Slice tapped out at one point.
However, Slice would survive and land several hard punches in the third round that caused blood to flow from Thompson's left ear. A Slice right hand would stagger Thompson, leading referee Dan Miragliotta to stop the bout.
Rogers, who stopped Jon Murphy in the first round on the undercard, had harsh words for Slice afterward.
"I'm saying it like this: Kimbo Slice, that was just garbage, man," Rogers said. "I'm going to speak it real. You did tap. ... I saw it. I was right there."
The words nearly caused Rogers and Slice to come to blows. After order was restored, each fighter expressed interest in settling their differences in the cage.
Shaw said EliteXC was close to putting Slice-Rogers on the Oct. 4 card, but after much deliberation the promoter decided to go with Shamrock (26-13-2). Though Rogers' shot at Slice fell through, Shaw said there is no need for the St. Paul, Minn., resident to bow his head.
"His future is incredibly bright in mixed martial arts and with EliteXC," Shaw said of Rogers. "He's 8-0 and has eight knockouts. He's been seen on Showtime and CBS.
"Rogers is at the beginning of a tremendous climb. If he's looking at this situation as him being overlooked, he'd better get in the gym with that thought ... because he's not being overlooked. The Kimbo Slice fight is coming to him.
"If they both handle their business, there will be a date for them in the very near future. For the fans who wanted to see Kimbo Slice-Brett Rogers, they will have to wait just a little longer. But it will be that much more exciting."
Slice couldn't be reached for comment.
Rogers will not appear on the Oct. 4 card. He is slated to fight on Nov. 8 on Showtime, but an opponent has yet to be named.
