SPORTSSHERDOG
Fight Finder

  First Name
  Last Name
  Nick Name
News Quicklinks
» Misaki Will Fight But Won't Be Paid
» Carwin-Velazquez Likely for UFC 104
» Varner: Interim Title Is ‘Glorified Second Place’
» Vacancies Fill for WEC 42
» Fukuda Captures Deep Middleweight Title
» Free Video on Demand: 5150 Combat League
» Lashley Saps ‘The Beast’
» Sapp vs. Lashley Play-by-Play
» Fan-Favorite Kattar Delivers at WCF
» Vazquez Camp: Thomas Out at ‘Ultimate Chaos’
Commission on Slice-Petruzelli: No Wrongdoing
 Options: Email Article | Printer Friendly
Commission on Slice-Petruzelli: No Wrongdoing
Thursday, October 23, 2008
by Sherdog.com Staff

The Florida State Boxing Commission’s preliminary investigation into the Oct. 4 EliteXC matchup between Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson and Seth Petruzelli found no wrongdoing, according to Alexis Antonacci, a Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation representative.

In an e-mail to Sherdog.com, Antonacci said that due to the findings in the preliminary investigation, there was “no need to move forward with a full investigation. The case has been closed.”

The investigation began four days after Petruzelli told the Monsters in the Morning radio program on 104.1 FM in Orlando, Fla., that EliteXC officials had paid him to keep his last-minute bout with Slice, a novice ground student, on the feet.

The state agency’s findings come three days after Pro Elite, parent company to EliteXC, closed its doors after a life-saving deal for its purchase by Showtime fell through. Pro Elite’s August SEC filing reported that the company was more than $55 million in debt.

FSBC Executive Director Thomas Molloy interviewed Petruzelli, EliteXC Head of Fight Operations Jeremy Lappen and inquired with both the Nevada and California State Athletic Commissions regarding the promotion’s past conduct in their jurisdictions.

Molloy also contacted David “Tank” Abbott, who lost to Ferguson at a Miami EliteXC event in February 2008. Molloy asked if Abbott had been asked to fight in a particular manner, to which the former UFC superstar answered, “No, nothing was said.”

Though Pro Elite officials denied any misconduct on Oct. 4, at least one employee has stepped forward to voice his doubts following the company’s demise.

“I have no proof, [but] I’d be amazed if [Petruzelli] wasn’t paid to stand up,” Pro Elite executive consultant T. Jay Thompson told Sherdog.com Tuesday.

Thompson also said two EliteXC employees expressed their confidence to him cageside of an arrangement that had been made with Petruzelli before the fight. Thompson said he alerted Pro Elite CEO Chuck Champion the next day.

“I sent Chuck Champion an e-mail basically telling him my concerns the day after, and after talking to him, he made it clear to me that isn’t what happened and I had to go with his word,” Thompson said.

Thompson was not listed as one of the sources interviewed by the commission during the investigation.
 
RELATED NEWS:
‘Slice’ Investigation Launched from Public Outcry
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The Weekly Wrap: Oct. 4 - 10
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Shamrock: EliteXC Made Mistake with Slice
Friday, October 10, 2008
Video: ESPN MMA Live
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Petruzelli Fights Controversial Statement
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Winners and Losers: EliteXC 'Heat'
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
RECENT KEVIN FERGUSON NEWS:
Kimbo Chest Update
Saturday, June 20, 2009
The Weekly Wrap: May 30 – June 5
Saturday, June 06, 2009
ESPN MMA Live: TUF Slice
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Kimbo Slice: Strikeforce’s Missed Opportunity?
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Update: TUF Takes ‘Slice’
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
The Bread Winner: Kimbo to ‘TUF’
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Search Sherdog Archive     
Sherdog.com, A property of CraveOnline, a division of AtomicOnline, LLC.
© 2009 CraveOnline Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | RSS | Mobile | Advertise
Not in any way associated with Crave Entertainment, Inc.