MmA kimbo slice and boxing champ fury tyson
Kimbo Slice is coming to LondonGettyBellator President Scott Coker announced at a press conference in London that the legendary Kimbo Slice (6-2 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) will face James Thompson (20-16 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) in the main event of Bellator 158, which will take place this July 16 at the London O2 arena.Slice and Thompson first met in 2008 clash in an infamous fight that was held under the EliteXC banner. Thompson looked to have the upper hand using a wrestling-based attack to wear down Slice over the opening two rounds, however, Slice landed a big shot in the third that cut open Thompson’s cauliflower ear and sent blood splattering - it was a gruesome sight. From there, Slice seized the opportunity with a few follow-up shots and got a controversial TKO victory.Slice is a highly controversial figure in the world of MMA but speaking yesterday, Bellator MMA president Scott Coker had his own point of view on his future main eventer."Kimbo Slice is a character of his own,” he said. “He resonates with fans unlike any other fighter I’ve seen. Who’s the most watched fighter in MMA history? You know what? It’s not Ronda Rousey, it’s not even Conor McGregor – it’s Kimbo Slice. It might be hard for some fans to swallow, but at the end of the day, 7.2 million viewers on CBS live against James Thompson. We’re bringing that fight back here and I think it’s the fight that fans want to see.”In the card’s co-main event, Koscheck will make his promotional debut a little over a year after signingwith Bellator MMA. The Fresno native has been frustrated to have been out of action for so long, especially after being forced to withdraw from a headlining spot in his hometown against Matt Secor at “Bellator 148,” a card that “Semtex” went on to main event. It was there that the seeds for a rematch were cemented even further, as Daley trashed “Kos” in front of his partisan fans, pushing the 38-year-old to return. Koscheck has stated that the fight atBellator 158 may well be the last of his career, and he believes it would be a good way to end things for him.“I owe this fight, not only to Paul, but to the fans,” he began. “I think it’s been a long time coming. We had a good first fight, it was a little more one-sided for me - I won that fight pretty easy. I’m gonna give him a chance, at least give him one chanceto step back into the cage with me and we’ll see if he can pull it off.”While Daley may have the results as of late to upstage his foe, Koscheck owns a victory over the Brit in their first meeting, which Daley followed with an infamous punch after the bell that changed the trajectory of his career. Now, with nine wins in hislast ten fights, Daley returns home toput an end to a moment in his profession that has cast a shadow over most of his success, while Koscheck looks to prove that their first meeting was no fluke. British fighters Michael 'Venom' Page and Linton Vassell were also announced for the event though their opponents are yet to be revealed.'Bellator 158: London' Fight Card Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson (6-2) vs. James Thompson (2016) Josh Koscheck (17-10) vs. Paul Daley (38-13-2) Michael Page (9-0) vs. TBA Linton Vassell (16-5) vs. TB
Frank Warren called Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora the best two heavyweights in the world behind triple champion Wladimir Klitschko and he is probably not too far from the truth.Fury and Chisora met in 2011 for the British title and Fury won on points but it was, this being boxing, Chisorawho fought for the world heavyweight title a few months later and lost to Vitali Klitschko.The first fight was an oddly muted affair and Chisora has always blamed his weight and preparation for his performance. "I gave him fourmonths to get ready," said Fury."How long does he need?"It was strictly business then and it is the same again now as they are being gently guided closer to a rematch this summer, probably in a stadium and certainly as some form of final eliminator for the world title.The sell has started and they will both fight at the Copper Box in east London on 15 February as the publicity increases and fans get the chance to compare the two.Chisora's next opponent is the American Kevin Johnson; in 2012, Johnson messed and ran from Fury for the full 12 rounds before losing on points. Chisora knows he needs astoppage."The fight needs to be an eliminator,"said Chisora. "We are the best out there and deserve a chance to win the world title. He beat me last time, no excuses, and I can beat him this time and there will be no excuses. I know that he will not complain because he is a real fighter."It is also a relief to know there won't be any carnival animal cages, used on occasion to separate volatile boxers, to keep the pair apart in the pre-fight press conferences."What we do is fight for money, no talking: We just fight," said Fury. "We are called prizefighters. We fight for a prize and Dereck proved that whenhe went in with Klitschko. The next time we meet, it will be just two men fighting for a living."Fury insists he is no longer concerned about his two abortive attempts to fight David Haye, which collapsed as Haye's body struggled with the rigours of training after lengthy gaps from the gym.Fury has not fought since last April but he has never been far from his uncle Peter Fury's guidance in gyms situated in Belgium and France."Haye can show me as many doctor'sreports as he wants but he pulled out twice because he is scared of me. He was making five million quid, that's how scared he was," added Fury.The tricky subject of Haye's retirement, forced on him after shoulder surgery, tends to divide the boxing business. Any rumour that heis back, behind closed doors, in his gym in south London inevitably leads to a chorus of hate. "He is not in my head. The man is a disgrace," said Fury.The question of Haye's return as a boxer – he last fought in the summer of 2012 when more than 30,000 watched him beat Chisora – looks likely to remain unanswered for a few months; there is every reason to believe that he has quit and that he is simply back in the gym keeping his stomach flat.It is inevitable that either Chisora or Fury will get a world heavyweight title fight this year and they deserve praise for agreeing to meet when in reality they could have each stayed busy and still fought for a title.Their proposed fight is better than the vacant WBC heavyweight bout between Bermane Stiverne and ChrisArreola, a meeting made essential when Vitali Klitschko, the former champion, joined the frontline of bloodied protesters in Kiev and surely turned his back on boxing forever."I know that when I get in that ring with Dereck it will just be two fighting men having a fight," said Fury. "I will go with a plan and he willgo with a plan and then we will both forget the plans and the winner will be the man with the biggest set. That is boxing, nothing too scientific.One man will knock out the other man."That is a brilliant explanation of boxing and there is no need to sell a fight like this with any cheap stunts involving fabricated hatred. It just needs 40,000 people, and it will sell out easily.
Frank Warren called Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora the best two heavyweights in the world behind triple champion Wladimir Klitschko and he is probably not too far from the truth.Fury and Chisora met in 2011 for the British title and Fury won on points but it was, this being boxing, Chisorawho fought for the world heavyweight title a few months later and lost to Vitali Klitschko.The first fight was an oddly muted affair and Chisora has always blamed his weight and preparation for his performance. "I gave him fourmonths to get ready," said Fury."How long does he need?"It was strictly business then and it is the same again now as they are being gently guided closer to a rematch this summer, probably in a stadium and certainly as some form of final eliminator for the world title.The sell has started and they will both fight at the Copper Box in east London on 15 February as the publicity increases and fans get the chance to compare the two.Chisora's next opponent is the American Kevin Johnson; in 2012, Johnson messed and ran from Fury for the full 12 rounds before losing on points. Chisora knows he needs astoppage."The fight needs to be an eliminator,"said Chisora. "We are the best out there and deserve a chance to win the world title. He beat me last time, no excuses, and I can beat him this time and there will be no excuses. I know that he will not complain because he is a real fighter."It is also a relief to know there won't be any carnival animal cages, used on occasion to separate volatile boxers, to keep the pair apart in the pre-fight press conferences."What we do is fight for money, no talking: We just fight," said Fury. "We are called prizefighters. We fight for a prize and Dereck proved that whenhe went in with Klitschko. The next time we meet, it will be just two men fighting for a living."Fury insists he is no longer concerned about his two abortive attempts to fight David Haye, which collapsed as Haye's body struggled with the rigours of training after lengthy gaps from the gym.Fury has not fought since last April but he has never been far from his uncle Peter Fury's guidance in gyms situated in Belgium and France."Haye can show me as many doctor'sreports as he wants but he pulled out twice because he is scared of me. He was making five million quid, that's how scared he was," added Fury.The tricky subject of Haye's retirement, forced on him after shoulder surgery, tends to divide the boxing business. Any rumour that heis back, behind closed doors, in his gym in south London inevitably leads to a chorus of hate. "He is not in my head. The man is a disgrace," said Fury.The question of Haye's return as a boxer – he last fought in the summer of 2012 when more than 30,000 watched him beat Chisora – looks likely to remain unanswered for a few months; there is every reason to believe that he has quit and that he is simply back in the gym keeping his stomach flat.It is inevitable that either Chisora or Fury will get a world heavyweight title fight this year and they deserve praise for agreeing to meet when in reality they could have each stayed busy and still fought for a title.Their proposed fight is better than the vacant WBC heavyweight bout between Bermane Stiverne and ChrisArreola, a meeting made essential when Vitali Klitschko, the former champion, joined the frontline of bloodied protesters in Kiev and surely turned his back on boxing forever."I know that when I get in that ring with Dereck it will just be two fighting men having a fight," said Fury. "I will go with a plan and he willgo with a plan and then we will both forget the plans and the winner will be the man with the biggest set. That is boxing, nothing too scientific.One man will knock out the other man."That is a brilliant explanation of boxing and there is no need to sell a fight like this with any cheap stunts involving fabricated hatred. It just needs 40,000 people, and it will sell out easily.
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