Cage Fury 5 - Kimbo Slice vs. Ray Mercer

It seems that there’s a MMA event occurring every time I turn around, and the latest goes by the name Cage Fury Fighting Championships 5. It will take place Saturday, June 23rd, at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The main event will feature professional boxer “Merciless” Ray Mercer taking on streetfighting legend Kimbo Slice.

CAGE FURY 5 COMPLETE CARD

Ray Mercer vs. Kimbo Slice (Heavyweight)

Brian DeMuro vs. Al Buck (Welterweight)

Doug Gordon vs. Lyman Good (Welterweight)

Nick Catone vs. John Howard (CFFC Middleweight Title)

Jim Miller vs. Anthony Morrison (CFFC Lightweight Title)

Mike Varner vs. Nick Serra (CFFC Welterweight Title)

Dante Rivera vs. Alexis Aquino (NABC Middleweight Title)

Gregor Gracie vs. Josh Lydell (Welterweight)

Devidas Taurosevicius vs. Kevin Roddy (NABC Lightweight Title)

Josh Rhodes vs. Noah Inhofe (CFFC Light Heavyweight Title)

RAY MERCER VS. KIMBO SLICE

Ray Mercer

The man known as “Merciless” Ray Mercer is a U.S. Amateur Champion, 1988 Olympic gold medalist, and a former Army Sergeant. At 46 years of age, his best days are certainly behind him. This was demonstrated by his KO loss to Shannon Briggs. While Briggs is no doubt a big puncher, the Mercer who took men like Evander Holyfield, Larry Holmes and Lennox Lewis the distance seemed incapable of being knocked out in his prime. For a perfect example, go to YouTube and check out his brutal victory over Tommy Morrison (back before Tommy Gunn’s career fell apart).

While this is the first time that Mercer has competed in a match with full MMA rules, he has dabbled in the world of K-1 kickboxing. In doing so, he has looked less than impressive - a fate that seems to plague many boxers who try to make a transition into the world of MMA. Still, he is training in the New Jersey area, and he claims to be working hard on both grappling and submission holds.

Mercer has predicted a first round knockout, claiming that either “he goes or I do.”

Kimbo Slice

Kimbo Slice, on the other hand, has made his reputation with no formal boxing skills. Slice (real name Kevin Ferguson) was a standout football player who had a short stint on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ practice squad (reportedly after an altercation with defensive star Warren Sapp). He later served as a bodyguard for MILF Hunter Productions. But his claim to fame is a series of bare-knuckle fights available all over the Internet.

In these fights, he pounds men like “Afro Puff,” “The Bouncer” and “Rasta” into submission. This prompted Rolling Stone magazine to refer to him as “King of the Web Brawlers.” His sole loss came against police officer Sean Gannon, who was later signed by the UFC due to the attention the fight received. Gannon went 1-1 over the next two years.

BODOG ODDS

Will the 31-year-old Slice slug his way to victory against his aging opponent, or will Mercer utilize decades of boxing experience to school the brawler in the finer points of the Sweet Science? It’s a tough call, but Bodog seems willing to take bets on the subject. Currently, their odds stand at:

Ray Mercer +175

Kimbo Slice -215

For more on the world of MMA, take a look at the following:

Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Baroni - Fight Preview

UFC 72 - Full Results

Cage Fury 5 - Kimbo Slice vs. Ray Mercer