Rovell on Kimbo: "I Knew I'd Have To See Him"
June 3, 2008
CNBC Sports Analyst Darren Rovell proves to be possibly the most unlikely of Kimbo fans as he blogs about his need to see the Kimbo-Thompson fight live. Rovell elaborated on the charismatic appeal of the former Kevin Ferguson:
As soon as I saw videos of Kimbo Slice beating up people, I knew that he’d have to go pro and I’d have to see him. Kimbo is why I jumped at the chance to go to my first mixed martial arts fight.
Rovell acknowledges the somewhat dubious ending of the fight but seems unfazed in his support for Slice in the future.
On the contrary, Promoter Gary Shaw seemed to soften his rhetoric a bit on Kimbo in commenting on the fight to the New York Times:
“He’s just one of the marketing pushes,†he said. “The next show, I could be investing in someone else. Kimbo may have lost some fans, but people will still come to see him — some to see him get beat and others to cheer him on.â€
While the ratings for the show made the EliteXC card a bona fide success, the waters are still a bit muddy as to what affect the controversial finish might have on Kimbo’s ability to draw fans to the arena and eyeballs to TV sets in the future.
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