Issue 191

July 2020

The welterweight also known as Kevin Ferguson Jr reflects on a controversial NC and his late father.

It was an odd situation for you at Bellator 232 in your fight against Craig Campbell. In the cage, you won via KO with fists and elbows but the result was overturned as it was deemed that the strikes were to the back of the head and therefore illegal. How did it all play out from your perspective?

I got word on it about 30 minutes before they made it public. There aren’t any hard feelings. I went in there and did what I was supposed to do. I listened to the referee and I did everything right. That is what the commissioner told me. I did everything right. I don’t know why they overturned it. The first shot that hit him almost knocked him unconscious and he kind of fell into the second one. It’s all good. They said I was too fast. I was hitting him too fast. They had a bunch of excuses. They thought it was a no contest, so that’s what it is. 

You hit him too fast? That may be the first time I’ve heard that. 

Yeah, he said the punches were so quick they couldn’t see anything. They had to slow it down and review it. Even if you watch it again, the first one was on the side of the head, which is a legal strike and that seemed like a flash knockdown and he dropped. The second one, well he fell into that one. That one hit him in the back of the head. The ref told me to watch that strike. I heard him, so I switched it and came out to the side and hit him again. Then it was all hammer fists to the side of the head and the ref called it off. I don’t understand but I guess it’s not for me to understand. It happened and it is what it is. I am moving on. 

If you graded the evolution of Baby Slice over the course of your six fights to date, how would you rate yourself?

I am constantly learning new things. The more time I get in the cage, the better I get. All you guys are going to see is me better than my last fight, better than the fight before that. That’s all you guys are going to see. I am in the gym every day. I am always in the gym, literally every day. It gets to the point where my coach tells me to take a few days off and chill. I love this sport and I love what I do. This is not work for me. I have the most fun during fight week. That’s all me. There is no better feeling. I love flying out, chilling in the hotel, relaxing, getting my mind right and weighing in. I love everything about it. I have been doing it with my dad since I was a kid. This is all I know, honestly speaking. I am so comfortable doing it. This is my home. This is what I want to do. This is what I love to do.

Speaking of your legendary father, Kimbo Slice, it’s said that you wanted to get into some bare-knuckle fights but he advised you to go professional and you honored his wishes. Is some part of you still interested in bare-knuckle fights somewhere, somehow, sometime down the road?

I am with Bellator right now. Bellator is home but how can I not do bare-knuckle at some point when I’m older? That’s what my dad started. I’m sure I will be the biggest name in the sport. I will be the biggest name in bare-knuckle just because of what my dad did for bare-knuckle fighting and boxing. No matter who they sign, no matter who they get, there will be no name bigger than mine. Everyone will want to see me fight, if I ever decide to do that. If it would be promoted right, I will get the biggest ratings and I will be the biggest draw they have. It’s only right. People would love to see that. I will finish what he started. I could see a big storyline behind that.