As if he needed any more publicity, George Zimmerman has once again found himself in the limelight, but for once, the police are not involved.
Although they should be. Is there such a thing as a restraining order from the media?
The acquitted gunman of the Trayvon Martin shooting has been set up in a "celebrity boxing match" by a boxing promoter to fight against former 2000's rap group, Ruff Ryders, member, DMX, according to TMZ.
Supposedly, Zimmerman wanted to bout with Kanye West, but DMX, real name Earl Simmons, was the one pulled out of 15,000 to be Zimmerman's opponent.
According to CNN, Damon Feldman, owner of Celebrity Boxing is responsible for setting up the match, who was made famous for his notoriously bizarre matchups, like Tonya Harding and Michael Lohan.
From the CNN report, once it was announced that Zimmerman would participate in a celebrity boxing match, over 8,000 people have overloaded his email inbox, stating that they would offer to fight the gunman in a three-round, pay-per-view match.
Although there is no official agreement or contract signed for the two to actually face off, according to DMX's rep, Domenick Nati, DMX has boasted to TMZ: "I am going to beat the living f--- out of him," and "I am breaking every rule in boxing to make sure I f--- him right up."
According to New York Daily News, Zimmerman stated back in January that he would take on anyone in a celebrity-boxing match and had been training for months. He also goes on record stating that boxing was a hobby of his, prior to the "incident" - which is how he chooses to refer to the Martin case in February 2012.
Calling the public response an outrage would be an understatement, as thousands of people have taken to social media to express their thoughts (and some worthy opponent alternatives) on the pending celebrity boxing match.
"Chelsea Lately" writer, Ian Karmel Tweeted, "They should send Floyd Mayweather to the ring and tell Zimmerman it's DMX. He won't know the difference."
CNN reports that even Rev. Al Sharpton has spoken out against the match, and expressed concern over the message that it sends in light of the highly controversial case.
"We must take very careful not to glorify or in any way sidestep the implications of making someone whose only claim to fame was killing an unarmed young man named Trayvon Martin into a cultural celebrity or hero," Sharpton said to a Los Angeles Group on Wednesday.
According to Time Newsfeed, Change.org has launched a petition to cancel the match, stating on the petition that it is "a blatant show of disrespect and nothing positive or righteous would come from such a stunt," released on Wednesday, which coincidentally would have been Martin's 19th birthday.
Prior to the boxing match and post-Trayvon case, Zimmerman unfortunately graced the news headlines with a domestic violence incident in which he pointed a shotgun at his girlfriend, Samantha Scheibe's face, according to the LA Times.
The charges were dropped and he was released on a $9,000 bond and the conditions of his bail reversed: he no longer has to wear a GPS-monitoring device, is allowed to contact Scheibe and can carry guns.
Here's to hoping that this the last time the public has to hear of George Zimmerman reminding us that the "stand your ground" law is designed for the people of Miami.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
