Photo Credit: Esther Lin
Ready for round 3? Conor McGregor stole the show in Toronto. Tonight, Floyd Mayweather will look to return the favor in Brooklyn as the two fighters face off for their final U.S. press conference. The live stream begins at 6:30 p.m. The fight airs on Showtime pay-per-view on August 26.
Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson, who rose to fame as bareknuckle fighter and influential MMA star, has died Monday night from a heart attack.
A spokesman for the Coral Springs Police Department stated the Bellator fighter was admitted on earlier today to Northwest Medical Center in Margate, Florida. He had been scheduled to rematch James Thompson on July 16 at Bellator 158 in London. Company president Scott Coker released the following statement on Slice’s passing:
We are all shocked and saddened by the devastating and untimely loss of Kimbo Slice, a beloved member of the Bellator family.
One of the most popular MMA fighters ever, Kimbo was a charismatic, larger-than-life personality that transcended the sport.
Outside of the cage he was a friendly, gentle giant and a devoted family man. His loss leaves us all with extremely heavy hearts, and our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Ferguson family and all of Kimbo’s friends, fans, and teammates.
After gaining a devoted following for his street fights in Miami, Slice became a pro MMA fighter in 2007. Despite never being a dominant in-ring force, Slice was a big ratings attraction and headlined the first MMA card on network television for the now defunct EliteXC. Later, he fought two fights for the UFC in 2009.
Slice made a brief foray into boxing where he compiled a 7-0 record before returning to MMA with an exclusive Bellator contract in 2015. His last fight, originally an TKO win over Dhafir “Dada5000” Harris at Bellator 148, was overturned to a no contest after Slice tested positive for an anabolic steroid and elevated testosterone levels.
Slice’s final MMA record stands at 6-2.
Idle time is the devil’s playground. Not even a full year into his “retirement,” Floyd Mayweather is apparently entertaining another nine-figure payday. But instead of looking to boxing, Mayweather is flirting with the idea of facing UFC star Conor McGregor.
The news was shot down a few days back by Dana White, but Floyd was right back to fanning the flames last night during a Mayweather Promotions card on ShoBox. According to Mayweather, the fight will eventually happen and take place in a boxing ring.
Do you believe him, or this a bait and switch before he announces a comeback against Danny Garcia or Manny Pacquiao rematch (cringe)?
Mandatory Credit: Matt Roberts-USA TODAY Sports
This morning the MMA world is still coming to terms with the destruction of one of its biggest stars in Ronda Rousey, who was outclassed and executed last night in Melbourne, Australia by former boxing world champion (and now UFC queen) Holly Holm.
An 11-year veteran of combat sports, Holly Holm is not your typical story of a faded boxer trying to find glory in MMA. Early in her career, she spent two years fighting professionally as a kickboxer(going 2-1) and prior to last night’s bout, had amassed a 9-0 record in MMA. She had her last boxing match in 2013 not because she couldn’t compete, but due to needing more consistent opportunities to make a living wage. Her 33-2-3 record featured a distinction of winning the unified WBA/WBC welterweight titles, and being one of the most accomplished female boxers in history.
That made last night’s beatdown no surprise to most boxing fans, who were already soured on Rousey for RING Magazine’s dubious decision to make her the first woman to grace the boxing publication’s cover in its 100-year history.
“It was a slap in the face to the history of women’s boxing,” said five-time flyweight women’s boxing champion Ava Knight.
No Laila Ali, Cecilia Braekhus or even the last American Olympic boxing gold medalist, Clarissa Shields, has been given the distinction of a RING cover.
This reality gave way to the brutal irony in Holm’s elite boxing ability being the cornerstone of her victory. Foolishly, Rousey attempted to stand early on and blitz with hard shots. Holm used her mastery of distance and footwork to keep Rousey on the end of stiff straight lefts and counter right jabs. Within a few minutes, Rousey was bloodied and flailing punches in desperation.
The most embarrassing of these moments signaled the end of Rousey’s chances to win. Showing firsthand how valuable a Floyd Mayweather-like defense can be, Holm deftly slipped a telegraphed left hook and sent Rousey falling over herself.
When you mix the aforementioned boxing skills with Holm’s superior physical strength and takedown defense, you get definitive conclusions like this.
Is Ronda Rousey a fraud? Not at all — the woman is an elite judoka and one of the best fighters in MMA. But her biggest weakness, striking, was placed in neon lights Saturday night. The test of any great fighter is how they come back from defeat. We’ll find out soon enough if Ronda Rousey has the heart and burning desire to come back better, is if she’s a modern version of Gina Carano.
In meantime, if this is how you shadowbox, the boxing gods will not look favorably on you being lauded in Sweet Science publications.
Last night, Ronda Rousey took home ESPY honors for “Fighter of the Year,” beating out the likes of Floyd Mayweather, Terence Crawford, Gennady Golovkin and Donald Cerrone. After receiving her award during the pre-show, Rousey had some choice words on Mayweather’s domestic violence issues and his previous quip about not knowing who she was.
Since these two are the faces of their particular combat sports, it’s not surprising that they’ve been throwing shots at each others. Yes, Rousey’s words are highly ironic considering her love for Mike Tyson, who visited her gym earlier this week and has a history of violence against women combined with a rape conviction. Nonetheless, let’s not let logic get in the way of a good diss.
After four years and just seven pro fights, Holly “Lil’ Bear” Lawson’s pro boxing journey has come to an end. It’s a quiet closure that’s cleared the way for a grand reinvention, as she steps into the MMA cage for her debut this Friday (October 17) on Bellator 129. The card, which airs on Spike TV, represents the highest level of exposure in Lawson’s career — aside from airing on a national outlet, she’ll step in the cage as the lone female member of Team Bodyshop, and as the student of trainer and former lightweight champion Antonio McKee.
In this exclusive interview for BeatsBoxingMayhem, Lawson details her decision to sign with Bellator, her continued passion for boxing, and how the Sweet Science has prepared her for MMA.
BEATSBOXINGMAYHEM: For you first opponent, you’re paired with another striker in Jozette Cotton who also seems to be a strong grappler. What do think of her skill set?
LAWSON: She’s definitely a striker. Without giving away too much, let’s just say there’s a lot of “gaps” in her approach — chinks in the armor if you will.
BBM: Now that you’re signed long-term with Bellator, does this effectively end your boxing career?
LAWSON: I definitely would [go back to boxing] if the opportunity came up. I love boxing, absolutely love it. In theory, I’d love to do both. But the way MMA is structured and with boxing being a contact sport as well, I don’t see that working out. Even now, I still don’t feel like I’m not a boxer.
BBM: All things considered, signing and getting a fight within MMA seems a lot easier for women than with boxing. Why is that?
Lawson: MMA is much more structured. There is already a system in place for all fighters, so women are not treated differently. That’s a huge difference. If I were a man, I would have gotten many more opportunities in boxing. With Bellator, [President] Scott [Coker] had a clear vision of what he wants to do with the women’s division. A lot of my teammates fight for Bellator so he’s already familiar with my them (Team Bodyshop). He also knows my trainer Antonio McKee really well.
I went out of my way to introduce myself. I was working the door at an amateur event Rampage Jackson was running. Scott walked up and I was like, “Hey I’m Holly, when are you going to put women back on your cards?” He was like “Really, what weight?” I told him “145.” He said, “We’ll talk.” He spoke with my trainer that night, next week I had a meeting with them that went well, and the rest is history.
BBM: How was was you’re learning curve in adapting to takedowns, kicks wrestling etc?
LAWSON: Before I tried it, a lot of my people were telling me in the gym that I’d be really good at MMA. I told myself I’d give it a month to see if I can pick it up quickly. I had to be really honest with myself as well as the coaches I picked. So far, everyone, especially Antonio, said I’m picking up things well. We started with wrestling. It’s a lot more difficult to teach a wrestler about boxing if they don’t have that background. But with a boxer, we can pick up the fundamentals of wrestling easier because it’s about knowing when to shift your body weight. That is already ingrained in your boxing DNA. For me, they are not as different as I thought it’d be.
BBM: It’s recommended to seek out mentors and role models when you come to a new field. How do you look up to in the world of MMA?
LAWSON: I’ve been surrounded by greatness. In boxing, I was surrounded by great fighters at the Wildcard Gym. The same thing applies in MMA training at The Body Shop. At this stage, it’s very important for me to surround myself with good people over those with ok character but good fighting skills. I want to be with people who are good athletes and are also good human beings who contribute to society. I’m the only female fighting for the team, but I’m really blessed to be around such a good group of guys.
Antonio is a godsend. He’s one of my best friends and biggest supporters. I confide in him so much. I want to be like everyone on my team. I value all of them as friends and athletes.
Of course, I follow women’s MMA now that I’m in it. But, I’m not a huge follower of anyone. There are people I definitely respect within it, but I don’t agree with a lot of people’s lifestyles and how they carry themselves.
BBM: How has your old Wildcard Gym crew taken to the news of you leaving boxing?
LAWSON: It’s funny because I haven’t made a big announcement to anyone. Only the people I’m close with know all the details. Every single one that knows sees the opportunity and value in it for me as a female athlete.
BBM: Is there currently a champion in your division?
LAWSON: 145 pounds (featherweight) is where Cyborg fights at normally. She’s trying to come down to 135 for a fight in Invicta, I think in December. She’s technically still the champ. Other than her, Bellator signed Marloes Coenen, who’s had a pretty lengthy career and close to 30 fights. They’ve signed a few women with 10 or fewer fights so far. The division itself is open and up for grabs.
BBM: What about the weight of 145? Is that comfortable for you as a former boxing welterweight (147 pounds)?
LAWSON: I’m strong and ripped at that weight. I boxed at 147 but came in 145 because I had a lot of catchweights. The MMA featherweight division is natural for me. So 152 pounds is a weight I’ll be strong and comfortable without having to do weight cutting.
UPDATE – The catchweight of 152 was changed yesterday due to Cotton coming in overweight at 168 pounds. Both fighters agreed to new terms to salvage the fight. Lawson weighed in later at 163.
Holly Lawson vs. Jozette Cotton with air exclusively on Spike.com as a part of Bellator 129’s preliminary card. The event begins at 7 p.m. ET.
Mike Tyson recently appeared on EPSN’s “Pardon the Interruption” to discuss his upcoming one-man Broadway show, “UNDISPUTED TRUTH.” The former heavyweight champion repeated his humorous tale of a post-marriage liaison with ex Robin Givens going awry and boxing vs. MMA. With the latter, Tyson noted the upcoming Andre Ward vs. Chad Dawson as the type of blueprint needed to bring boxing collectively back to the forefront. In addition, he also said the lower weight fighters need to take more chances and stop declining potential superfights over 5-10 pound weight differences.
Overall, it’s hard not to disagree with Tyson’s sentiments. The styles may not mesh, but Ward-Dawson is an intriguing fight between top fighters in different weight classes. There was a time when fighters would routinely jump a weight class or two to meet a formidable challenge. Now you’re more likely to see fighters drain themselves so they’ll come into fight night with a huge weight advantage.
“Mike Tyson: UNDISPUTED TRUTH” is directed by Spike Lee and will play be at the Longacre Theatre from July 31-August 12.
