Here’s something you don’t hear everyday. A star athlete who was once homeless and fighting police officers in boatyards is out playing with a sick five year old kid for two hours.
This is what a radio personality had to say about Justin, a boy who was suffering from complications due to a rejected transplanted liver.
When I met Justin and his father at Boomers, I explained that Kimbo was a very busy guy and he would probably only be able to spend a few minutes with him, but I was sure he’d be able to take a photo with him. About 15 minutes later, Kimbo Slice, his manager, and two others showed up to Boomer’s… and proceeded to spend the next two hours with Justin. Two hours! Kimbo took a genuine interest in Justin, making sure he had enough to eat… making sure he got to play all the games he wanted… making sure Justin felt like a STAR. (And he did.) Kimbo also brought him autographed photos, merchandise, and lots of other great stuff. The entire afternoon was so touching on so many levels.
Justin was on top of the world… His dad told me he doesn’t really get to go to places like Boomers, because of all the immuno-supression drugs that he’s on. It makes it dangerous for Justin to be around a lot of kids (and a lot of germs) because his body would have a tough time fighting off even a minor illness. Justing took tons of photos with Kimbo, and Kimbo played games with Justin for the entire 2 hours. It was pretty amazing to see the power of an individual… Kimbo made this kid feel great, just by spending some time with him. What a great power to have.
Props to Kimbo Slice for representing MMA in a good way. He’s gotten so much heat for his past, but it’s apparent that he’s a much better person than many professional athletes these days.








August 13th, 2008 at 9:11am
From what I understand there are a number of athletes who are very generous with the time and money. The media rarely highlights these nice stories. But 2 hours of his time IS VERY generous. This reminds me of the many stories I heard about the one and only Mike Tyson who surprised many people by actually hanging out with them after signing autographs.
August 13th, 2008 at 10:00am
I can’t disagree with you there, but I guess I didn’t see Kimbo Slice as someone who would care about others. The guy had to fend for himself for so long out on the streets as a homeless fighter.
Either way, it’s something that should be discussed by the mainstream MMA media. I mean what else could warm your little heart after seeing one guy choke another guy out on CBS Saturday Night Fights? A nice and happy Kimbo Slice story.