Kimbo Slice Agrees to Fight James Toney, But Does This Fight Make Sense?

Even before it was announced that former street brawler and YouTube sensation Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson would be making the transition to pro boxing after a less-than-stellar run in MMA, people were talking about a match between Kimbo Slice and aging pro boxer turned failed MMA star James Toney. In Toney’s initial media onslaught where he called out multiple people and proclaimed that he could easily take them out in an MMA fight, Slice was at the top of his list. Toney even went as far as nicknaming Slice “Simba”. In a recent appearance on the MMA Hour, Slice revealed that he wouldn’t be opposed to a fight with Toney. I’m generally in favor of this match, although I think there are both positives and negatives to how soon this fight is booked.

First off, I think this fight is inevitable. It’s a total freakshow attraction, but it’s definitely a big-money fight. If this fight is rushed right out of the gate, it would capitalize on all the momentum both men have built up throughout the years. Even though he lost in perhaps the most embarrassing way possible, James Toney hasn’t been this much of a media magnet since he was in his prime over a decade ago. After flunking out of the UFC most people would agree that Kimbo’s fifteen minutes of fame are up, but he may be good for one last, big buyrate, and the sooner it comes the better, before he loses any more of his novelty.

Booking this fight immediately does have its fair share of problems, however. First off, James Toney is still a pro boxing champion. How much those belts actually mean is up to debate, but it’d send a pretty strong message that they’re not worth as much as a freak-show attraction if Toney tosses them aside to immediately fight Kimbo. Also, booking the match so soon would be such a blatantly obvious cash-in that it would not-insignificantly damage both fighter’s credibility, and their credibility is in pretty rough shape already.

Letting Kimbo and Toney get a few fights under their belts is a good idea. It allows Kimbo to get some experience in a boxing ring, and since protecting fighters by serving them up opponents that have no business being in the ring with them is by far the norm in pro boxing nowadays, Slice would likely go on a pretty decent win streak before challenging Toney. Likewise, Toney needs to gain back the boatloads of respect he lost at UFC 118 by getting some more KO’s under his record.

But this scenario has its fair share of problems too, chief of which is the simple fact that both men could lose. Slice already had one throw-away opponent beat him up and knock him out; other than his YouTube videos, his KO loss to virtual unknown Seth Petruzelli may be his most famous moment. James Toney is no spring chicken either, and in a few days it will have been over a year since he last stepped foot in a boxing ring. At this point, any losses on both men’s records would do a lot of damage to the money value of Toney/Slice, no matter how small those losses may be.

So, in the end, what’s the right call? Personally? I think all involved should bite the bullet and make the fight happen immediately. They need to strike while both men are in the news and on people’s minds, before they both fade back into relative obscurity. It won’t be a technical masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but it will probably be an entertaining fight at the very least. And with the way both men have fallen on hard times as of late, any publicity is better than no publicity.

But what do you think, fans and friends? How excited are you at the prospect of a James Toney vs. Kimbo Slice fight in a boxing ring? And do you think the fight should happen immediately, or that both men should get a couple of wins first?