Kimbo Slice To Become Boxer: "A Little Slow, A Little Late"

Former streetfighter and mixed martial artist Kimbo Slice signed a deal last weekend with promoter Gary Shaw to initiate a career as a pugilist sometime this autumn.

"I think that we'll get him to debut somewhere between October and December, depending on how well he progresses in the gym," said Shaw, who promoted Slice during his three-year foray into MMA. "This is not MMA, it's boxing."

Slice, whose real name is Kevin Ferguson, gained his fame as a Miami hooligan who knocked bums onto Queer Street in brawls and posted videos of his violent thrashings on YouTube.

"I feel like a baby all over again," said Slice, 36, who earned a tryout in 1997 with the Miami Dolphins as a middle linebacker and participated with their preseason squad.

"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."

Slice, who accumulated a mark of 4-2 as a mixed martial artist, further emphasized his desire to become a legitimate prizefighter.

"This is a career move. I love fighting. I like to knock people the (expletive) out. I love engaging. Maybe some people think I'm crazy."

Slice is 6'1" and weights 225 pounds. There is zero question that Slice possesses tremendous power in both of his fists and he has shown surprising boxing skills for an
individual without formal training in the ring.

If Slice had entered the squared circle in the prime of his physical abilities, he could have flourished and inflicted serious damage against opponents in a division sapped of talent.

"If he got into boxing when he was 26, instead of 36, I think he could have been a real force as a boxer," said Brad Sherwood, a 30 year-old South Boston resident who works as a personal trainer at Gold's Gym in Medford. "But, he isn't 26."

Unfortunately, Slice is now a tad long in the tooth and it's hard to envision he will make much of an impact as a pugilist at this stage of his life.

Slice isn't crazy. However, as Avon Barksdale from The Wire once said, he is just "a
little slow, a little late."