Bloody Elbow Judo Chop: The Questionable Boxing Technique of Kimbo Slice

It's no secret that I'm no technical expert, particularly on striking. So I asked Lee Payton of the newest SBN combat sports blog The Boxing Bulletin to break down Kimbo's game for me. Here's what Lee said:

Kimbo Slice has 4 major problems when it comes to his boxing.

First is a poor grasp of boxing fundamentals and timing. One of his bad habits is telegraphing big shots by bringing his fist back before he lets go with one. He's off-balance most of the time, especially if the fight lasts more than a few minutes. Poor technique and stamina cause there to be a lot of time and space between his shots, but it doesn't help that he always seems to be looking for the single punch KO. If the opponent can back him up, more than half the work is done because he is no danger off the back foot. Anyone with a length advantage has an easier time because Kimbo does not know how to close the distance effectively. He can't possibly win if he doesn't apply consistent pressure.

Another issue is his lack of quickness. He is slow and many of his moves are unnatural. Boxing is a speed game and Kimbo just doesn't have it.

We've seen Slice hurt by smaller guys, and with some less than devastating blows. Based on what he's shown so far, you have to conclude that his ability to take the incoming is less than average. It's certainly not up there with top fighters in either sport. Boxing and MMA are hurt businesses. You can't go far if you can't deal with getting hit.

Poor wind has plagued Kimbo since his days as a backyard brawler. Now that he's a professional MMA fighter, his endurance has improved from horrible to significantly below average. It doesn't seem as though Kimbo will ever learn how to pace himself. As seconds pass, his technique only gets sloppier. Bad form only feeds into the fatigue, which can bring disastrous results. I'm sure he'll relax more as his career progresses, but for now...

I consider Kimbo's hands to be average at best in the MMA world. Most guys have some of the basics down, which gives them an edge over Slice, but he evens things up on strength alone. His only chance to win is on the feet, yet I don't believe he has the skills to make standing up much of an advantage for himself. Anyone with some striking talent, or proper schooling in any of the standing martial arts should be considered the favourite going in, in my opinion.

To be blunt, Kimbo Slice wouldn't be a top 200 heavyweight in boxing today.

Just another buff looking guy who can't really fight. He'd probably have to stick to fighting sub .500 fighters in places like Kansas, Texas and Kentucky in order to have a winning record. I would confidently pick everyone in the top 100 to knock him out. The fact that participants are allowed to mug and wrestle and toss their opponents around is really the only thing Kimbo has going for himself in MMA because he can't grapple and isn't very talented with his fists, but he is a very strong man.

It's like a guy in the gym who can bang the punching bag like Hell, but can't hit anything in the ring. Kimbo can't find the target on his own, so it's up to Dana White and UFC matchmaker Joe Silva to do their best to give it to him.

Lee breaks down some specific moments from Kimbo's MMA career in the full entry, with animated gifs.

Describing the infamous moment on the left, Lee writes:

As Kimbo rushes in low and tries for the big right, he gets clipped on the chin with a short right counter jab which was delivered with only one foot on the ground. Slice never saw the punch and fell on his face. This happened because Kimbo "loaded up" the right. By bringing his arm back to throw the punch he gave Petruzelli more time and space to land something of his own. He also loses power by changing what could have been a short, effective blow into a punch that is sloppy and easy to see coming.

But Lee is a fair arbiter and had good things to say about Kimbo's takeout of Tank Abbott:

The finishing combination is the best I have ever seen from Kimbo. Smelling blood, he dialed in a 1-2-3 and a quick, straight right to the jaw sent Tank to the floor for good. The clean-up left hook missed, but it had murder on it.

We'll see if Kimbo has improved his game against Houston Alexander this Saturday.