When former UFC and EliteXC fighter Kimbo Slice was released from his contract by the UFC, many believed that it spelled the end for his career in combat sports.
But a recent interview with MMA Weekly Radio, former EliteXC executive Jared Shaw revealed that the duo is actively working on a deal to have a boxing match against Minnesota Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards.
Edwards, who is currently a restricted free agent, has been training to box for quite some time and is set to make his debut this Saturday night against former kickboxer T.J. Gibson in Hinckley, MN.
“I’ll tell you right now on the air, I’ve called Mike Riley to get in touch with Ray Edwards’ people and I’ve made an open challenge to come fight Kimbo Slice. That fight I will deliver,” Shaw told MMAWeekly Radio.
“If Ray Edwards wants to step up and fight Kimbo Slice I will deliver that to the public,” Shaw continued.
“There’s two guys that come from athletic backgrounds, that haven’t been in the ring that many times, so let’s see two big boys bang it out. If Ray Edwards thinks he’s a great boxer, then maybe he thinks he can go through Kevin Ferguson very quickly.”
Not only would a fight between Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson and an elite-caliber NFL football player make a big splash in the media, it could also stir the pot again between Edwards’ Ambition MMA training partners and the former The Ultimate Fighter star.
Mike Riley, a coach at Ambition MMA, has also been training current Strikeforce star and Heavyweight Grand Prix contestant Brett Rogers for years. It was Rogers who publicly called out Slice in a post-fight press conference after an EliteXC event.
Though the two fighters’ careers have gone in very different directions since that night and a fight between them seems highly unlikely to ever materialize, the team members at Ambition MMA could get some satisfaction in seeing one of their own lay a beat down on Kimbo Slice.
Edwards signed a two-fight deal and hasn’t yet decided on a second opponent. But like many of his fellow NFL players, he will not be standing by idly while the Players Union and the league settle their differences.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do in my life,” Edwards told The Minneapolis Star-Tribune in April. “I can’t put my eggs all in one basket, waiting for the NFL to settle the lockout. You never know when this lockout is going to end.”
According to Shaw, Kimbo Slice hasn’t been taking much time off since leaving the UFC and remains open to the idea of a professional boxing fight against a fellow star like Ray Edwards.
“I’m always in contact with Kimbo and his camp, and they’re great,” Shaw boasted of his superstar.
“Kimbo’s enjoying his life post a lot of training years. The first time out in boxing it just wasn’t the right timing, he had some aches, he wanted to go shoot a film, ‘The Scorpion King,’ and we just left it open ended. I have good feelings that Kimbo Slice still wants to make an impact in the fight game. However, he can define his own impact.”
While neither Slice nor Edwards will likely develop into a contender for any high-level boxing championship, both men are entertainers and could bring in some serious headlines if this fight were to ever materialize.
“Some people will call it a circus, but you can call it whatever you want,” Shaw concluded. “It’s two guys who are willing to get in the ring and bang it out. I don’t really call that a circus.”
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