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LOCAL ROUNDUP

Kimbo fight under review

sperez@MiamiHerald.com

The Florida Boxing Commission will conduct an investigation of the mixed martial arts fight between Miami resident Kimbo Slice and Seth Petruzelli, a representative for the agency overseeing the commission said Friday.

The investigation stems from comments Petruzelli made after the fight indicating that the fight might have been fixed. Petruzelli defeated Slice in 14 seconds when they fought in the main event of a nationally televised event last Saturday at BankAtlantic Center.

''This is something the department took upon itself,'' said Jennifer Meale, communications director of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. ``There was not a formal complaint to initiate the investigation.''

Petruzelli, who replaced Slice's original opponent, Ken Shamrock, after Shamrock sustained an eye injury hours before the fight, said Monday on an Orlando radio show that he was paid additional money by the fight's promoter, ProElite, to keep the fight off the ground and instead trade punches with Slice.

A Cape Coral native and Orlando resident, Petruzelli later told ESPN.com his comments were misconstrued.

Nonetheless, Tom Molloy, executive director of the Florida Boxing Commission, will oversee the investigation of the fight, Meale said.

''My thoughts on the investigation are that it's a good thing,'' said Jeremy Lappen, head of fight operations for Elite XC, a division of ProElite. ``Now, finally, after Florida does the investigation, they'll confirm there was no wrongdoing. It's frustrating and disappointing that the media has made a big deal out of this when Seth said nothing happened and we said nothing happened.

``The negative attention has overshadowed the really positive thing about the event, and that's how well we did from a ratings standpoint.''

Molloy was unavailable for comment Friday, and his office referred all questions to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Meale said there is no timetable for the investigation.

Miami Herald sportswriter Garrett W. Hylton contributed to this report.

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