Amid all the excitement about former three-weight world champion James Toney taking on UFC fighter Randy Couture, the news that former MMA superstar Kimbo Slice is to make the opposite journey after signing with Gary Shaw Productions slipped under the radar. Slice is training in the The Maywood Gym under the tutelage of trainer Clemente Medina. Shaw has told various media outlets that he plains for Slice to make his boxing debut in November or December.
Shaw and Slice go way back, with the boxing promoter being the 0ne that first brought Kimbo Slice to mainstream attention when he had him fighting in his short-lived EliteXC MMA organization. Slice had been a YouTube sensation due to clips of him fighting in backyard street fights, and his fights on CBS and Showtime drew very strong ratings. Despite his rudimentary skills, EliteXC presented Slice as a dominant fighter something that was exposed when he lost to Seth Petruzelli in 14seconds. However this loss and the controversy that surrounded it did nothing to dent his marketability with his televised fights in the UFC against Roy Nelson and Houston Alexander doing huge numbers. This was despite the organization going out of its way in its The Ultimate Fighterreality show to remind people of his inferior skillset. Shaw will be hoping that this marketability will translate to the boxing ring.
Hat Tip: Pound for Pound
