Kimbo Slice who was referred to as King of the Web Brawlers by Rolling stone is a Bahamian-American mixed martial artist. He is a boxer, professional wrestler and also dabbles in acting. Kimbo rose to fame through his street-fighting videos on YouTube which soon clocked a million views and counting. He won almost all his fights and was well-loved by many because of his aggressive fight style.
He portrayed Bludge in Nickelodeon’s holiday special, Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh. He also participated as Zulu Kondo in the film The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption.
Kimbo Slice Bio/ Wiki
Kimbo’s birth name is Kevin Ferguson and he was born on February 8, 1974, in Nassau, Bahamas. His family moved to the US when he was little and he was raised alongside his two siblings (Renea and Devon) by their mother, Rosemary Clarke in Cutler Ridge, Florida.
He attended Bel-Air Elementary School but changed to Cutler Ridge Middle School and finished at Richmond Heights Middle School. For his high school, he went to Miami Palmetto High School and was on the football team as a middle linebacker. His house was reportedly destroyed by Hurricane Andrew in 1992 which shortened his high school football season but he would later have a tryout with Miami Dolphins in 1997 but did not make it to the first team.
He attended both Bethune-Cookman College and the University of Florida where he held an athletic scholarship and studied criminal justice but left a year and a half later.
His mother gave him the nickname Kimbo when he was a child. The last sobriquet was however added after he left a large cut on his opponent’s right eye in his first recorded fight causing his internet fans to give him the name Slice.
Fighting Career
A fighter until the end, he had his first fight at the age of 13 in a bid to defend his friend in elementary school. Derailing from his dream of playing football, he began his career in unsanctioned mutual combat street fights in 2003 which was recorded and uploaded on the internet. Prior to fame, Kimbo worked as a bouncer for a strip club, a limousine driver, and a bodyguard for the porn site, Reality Kings Net Media.
Slice was training exclusively for street boxing at the Freestyle Fighting Academy in 2005 but developed an interest in MMA parlaying his notoriety into a professional career. He made his debut against Ray Mercer at Cage Fury Fighting Championships 5, in Atlantic City on June 23, 2007, where he won at 1:12 into the first round.
In 2007, Slice signed a professional contract with EliteXC, but when the company ceased operation in 2008, he became a free agent and competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He shifted to professional boxing in 2010 and had his boxing debut on August 13, 2011, against James Wade by a knockout victory just 10 seconds into the match. In 2015, he signed a multi-fight deal with Bellator MMA and defeated his opponent in his debut fight at Bellator 138. He would have made his debut in professional wrestling on February 9, 2011, but pulled out of the fight due to an injury.
His last fight was at the co-main event of Bellator 149 in February 2016 where he scored a third-round knockout of Dhaffir Harris (Dada 5000). The fight was subsequently changed to a no-contest after it came to light that Slice failed his pre-fight drug test. The anabolic steroid nandrolone was found in his system with an elevated Testosterone ratio of 6.4/1 against the maximum allowed limit of 4.1.
Slice was slated for a rematch against James Thompson at Bellator 158 fight in London on July 16, 2016, but unfortunately, he died before the fight could happen.
Is He Dead?
Yes, Kimbo died on Monday, June 6, 2016, at 7.30 pm from congestive heart failure. The Friday before his death, he was admitted to Northwest Medical Center after he complained of severe abdominal pain, dyspnea and nausea. He was diagnosed with congestive heart failure, found to have a liver mass, and placed on a ventilator in intensive care. Preparations were ongoing for his transfer to a facility in Cleveland where he would await a heart transplant on an organ donor list when he died.
Kimbo Slice’s Wife, Kids
Antoinette Ray met Kimbo Slice through his elder sister before he became famous. There are conflicting reports about their marital status, however, they were allegedly married in 2012. She described their dating as the best dating experience she ever had and called him a protector she could always lean on.
The couple had six children: three sons, Kevin Jr. Kevin II, and Kevlar, and three daughters, Kiara, Kevina, and Kassandra. His three youngest children, Keiyera, Kassandra, and Kevlar attend primary and secondary schools in Florida while the older three, Kevin Jr., Kevin II (who is in college in Missouri and plays college football), and Kevina are in their 20s.
The youngest son, Kevlar who looked so much like his father when he was younger, has autism and trained with his father. Kimbo said in an Infocus video that the reason he fights is for his children because he wants them to be a little better than he was. He was described as a devoted family man by the Bellator president, Scott Coker at the time of his death.
Kimbo Slice Son
Kimbo’s eldest son, Kevin Jr. followed in his father’s footsteps and is fighting under the name, Baby Slice. He made his MMA debut in March 2016, winning in the first round by a knockout against 2-0 Tom Brink.
Kevin Jr. studied photography at the Academy of Arts, San Francisco, lives in Connecticut, and trains at Plus One Defense Systems in West Hartford. He said his father didn’t want him to have MMA Fighting as his first option and pushed him off to college but left him the option of coming back if he didn’t like the experience.
As a child, he didn’t understand all the sacrifices and dedication his father made, he now does and is set to make the same sacrifices as a fighter.
Height, Body Measurements
Kimbo was a man who understood that the more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in combat. He is known for his daily workout and a diet full of vitamins and protein shakes. Although his body statistics are not known, he was in a good shape before his death. He had a recorded height of 188 cm (6′ 2″) and weighed 106 kg (234 pounds).
