YouTube backyard brawler Kimbo Slice will feature on the Daniel Geale-Anthony Mundine card on January 30, along with upcoming featherweight Joel Brunker taking on Joskan Hernandez and Lauryn Eagle fighting Nadine Brown.
The Geale-Mundine event is promising to be the biggest fight card Australia has seen in years, at least since when Mundine defeated arch rival Danny Green back in 2006.
It will begin with former street fighter Kimbo Slice, aka Kevin Ferguson, fighting in a four-round bout. For those unaware, Kimbo is an internet sensation, a fighter with a mixed martial arts background. Videos of his street brawls have been watched by millions.
Kimbo, who has flirted with UFC, took up professional boxing in 2011 and has six wins from six fights, five by knockout.
The heavyweight has a huge global following and will spark international interest, and a dash of circus element, to the Geale-Mundine card. He has his own action figure and has acted in films in the past.
But here’s the catch – Kimbo is looking for a opponent, and will take on any Aussie willing to face in the ring. Seriously.
The promoters are looking for a local to face Kimbo and are asking for videos of potential opponents sparring, and a brief summary of why they think they can beat the huge American, to be emailed in.
The winner of the competition will rumble with Kimbo in the opening fight on January 30.
Following the Kimbo bout, light heavyweights Steve Lovett amd Taito Raturere will meet, super middleweight Jamie Pittman will take on Zac Awad, and Lauryn Eagle will take on Nadine Brown for the vacant Australian female lightweight title.
Fresh from knocking out his last opponent in 100 seconds, undefeated featherweight Joel Brunker will then face Mexico’s Joksan Hernandez.
Brunker made his US debut in October and made quick work of Carlos Feulgenio.
His record is now 25 wins from 25 fights and the Sydneysider has set his sights on a world title. Brunker has been back in the gym for the past month and says his preparation is on track: “I’ve been back a training since November and everything is going great.”
While Brunker executed a fast and effective KO in the first round of his last fight, it might not be the case this time round.
“I don’t normally plan on going for a quick KO, I think if you go in with that intention you can get yourself caught out.”
Hernandez has some knockout power of his own, boasting 14 KOs in his 22 wins, He also lost five fights and one draw from his 28 bouts, and crucially comes into this one with a draw and two losses in his past three fights.
Brunker could be heading back to the US in 2013 so it might be the last chance Aussie fans see the 26-year fighting on home shores for a while.
Completing the undercard will be a cruiserweight clash between Daniel Ammann and David Alou, where Ammann will defend his Australian cruiserweight title.
A cult web phenomenon from the States, a former female water skiing champion turned boxer, one of Australia’s best emerging fighters on his way to a world title shot and, of course, the main event, Daniel ‘The Real Deal’ Geale versus Anthony ‘The Man’ Mundine – Mundine versus Geale II.
January 30 is shaping up to be one hell of a night.
Follow John on Twitter @johnnyddavidson
Nuutz
Guest
Kimbo will be much better at boxing than he was at MMA. He had a dodgy knee which opponents attacked and didn't have a great ground game. But you can't deny he had knockout punching abililty.
cornbeef
Guest
What, Kimbo Slice is a joke in the boxing ring. He failed UFC, MMA and now boxing? Couldn't they get a better boxer for the undercard.
g r crowther
Guest
G r crowther says i agree with josh great undercard geale flogs mundine
Richard M
Guest
Paul Gallen vs Kimbo? Got to say, that was an amazing fight last week. Against an undefeated, former world ranked martial artist?
Josh
Guest
This is actually a good undercard - especially for a Mundine fight! Pittman vs Awad and Ammann vs Aloua should be good fights.
Falcore
Guest
Slice v QC, may as well go full circus
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
A bit of a freak show really. Was one of the many who thought Kimbo was indestructible when i first saw his backyard fights 4-5 years ago. The guy got demystified pretty quickly when he participated to the Ultimate Fighter show: no cardio, a very limited technique, he got outclassed by average MMA fighters. Same story in his few UFC fights. Not a bad move to have him on the crad as it will bring some interest from the US where no one knows/cares about Geale or Mundine, but the format, "i'll take on anyone", does take some credibility from the event itself and boxing in general. dwarf-throwing between bouts?
Steve
Guest
Kimbo Slice will take on any Aussie willing to face him in the ring? That's something which belongs at a fairground boxing booth, not a serious sporting event. I suppose if no-one volunteers to fight Kimbo they'll challenge him to last three rounds against a Kangaroo.
Roarsome
Guest
Mundine fights have always had "a dash of circus element." Where's SBW and Quade Cooper? I wanted to see some serious boxers on the card. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download it now [http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/the-roar/id327174726?mt=8].
The Grafter
Guest
Joel Brunker has plenty of potential, and is one of several world class Australian fighters in and around feather/super featherweight (another of these is the Top Rank promoted Paul Fleming who fights in Perth tonight). Kimbo Slce......,Lauran Eagle (who is on the Fight for Life card in Auckland tonight)..........., no comment. Of interest is the boxer that Geale beat for the WBA title (which he strangely forfitted to fight Mundine) this week signed t fight Australian middleweight Sam Solomon in Germany two weeks after the January 30 fight.
Sam Brown
Roar Guru
Wow they are getting Kimbo in on the action. I must say though that boxing is a far better fit for Slice than MMA where he virtually had to rely on the goodwill of other fighters wanting to brawl with him as his primary takedown defence (or in one case a pushy promoter). All in all sounds like a pretty great card.