The Myth of Kimbo Slice Has Now Transferred to Seth Petruzelli
Sam Caplan at FiveOuncesofPain.com has an excellent interview with Kimbo-killer Seth Petruzelli. Petruzelli clarifies earlier comments about being paid extra by EliteXC to stand and bang with Slice, talks about his wife being threatened by Kimbo's posse after the fight, and also discusses his K-1 fight against Bob Sapp years ago.
But, what really caught my eye was the following exchange between Caplan and Petruzelli:
Sam Caplan: I believe EliteXC has an opening on Nov. 8 for a light heavyweight bout vs. Rafael Feijao. There has been talk of him competing for a title. I know you mentioned interest in fighting Tito Ortiz for the light heavyweight title but would you have any interest fighting Feijao for the title and coming back early next month?
Seth Petruzelli: It’s kind of short but I would have no problems doing it. Whatever they want me to do, I’ll do for them. I don’t think they want me to fight until after the New Year, but we’ll see what happens. But I don’t see myself fighting again until the beginning of 2009.
How did Petruzelli's name suddenly become connected with an EliteXC title fight? How did a journeyman fighter who went 0-2 in the UFC and spent the last year running his Smoothie King business all of a sudden become a title contender?
Simply put, Petruzelli has now become part of the Kimbo myth. And, there's no doubt -- based on how EliteXC runs its promotion -- that the Kimbo myth will continue to be extended for as long as possible.
EliteXC continues to want fans to believe that Kimbo is a fighting superstar. By extension, the man who beat him has now become the man. So, rather than framing this fight as one mediocre fighter defeating a less-than-mediocre fighter, we are being given an election season-worthy narrative that flips that notion on its head.
EliteXC continues to miss the boat with fighters like Jake Shields, the middleweight division, and the lightweight division as it spends far too much time on the Kimbo mythology.
And, while I love the idea of free MMA on network TV, and I know that EliteXC treats its fighters well, it's becoming increasingly difficult to listen to, read, or watch anything connected with EliteXC VP Jared Shaw with a straight face.
Assist: FightTicker.com member EERS_1_Fan
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Comments
I tried to get them to tell
I tried to get them to tell them on the radio show last night that it was a goofy ass idea putting Seth in a title fight just because he beat Kimbo.
EERS_1_Fan
Eliot Marshall won all 3 rounds! boxing judges should be fair you don't have to KO the other guy in their world!
will this ever
will this ever end?
Underboss MMAfia
Head of the West Coast Family
back on energy drinks
It will be a never-ending
It will be a never-ending cycle. The guy who beats Seth will be the man who beat the man who beat the man. Kimbo's the gift that keeps on giving...
kimbo is like a when you are
kimbo is like a when you are at someones house and you really have to fart but you don't want to stink the place up and fart, so you act cool and hold in the fart like you don't have to fart, but then it takes for ever to find a good secret place to fart, then you just fart on accident when you don't want to and know everyone knows you had to fart all along because they knew in the back of their head that something was up like why were you sweating so much, what's with the squirming around?
kimbo is a elitexc's fart...
Underboss MMAfia
Head of the West Coast Family
back on energy drinks
the gift that keeps on
the gift that keeps on giving is porn