Kenny Rock has issued a fighting challenge to Will Smith after the actor slapped his older brother, comedian Chris Rock, at the Oscars earlier this month.
Kenny has just signed a deal with Celebrity Boxing to fight in Florida this summer and was asked whether he thinks his brother and Smith should get in the ring.
“No they shouldn’t but I should get in the ring with Will Smith,” Kenny responded to TMZ.
Asked what his message was to Smith, Kenny said: “I’ll let the hands do the talking.”
Speaking on his feelings about the Academy’s move to ban Smith from attending the Oscars, Kenny added: “They might say a 10-year ban and after three years they’ll think we may have forgot about it and they’ll slide him in there after two years, three years, five years. So we have to make sure these people do what they say they’re going to do.”
Kenny had previously criticised the Academy for its lack of action after the altercation, telling the Los Angeles Times in a 4 April article: “It eats at me watching it over and over again because you’ve seen a loved one being attacked and there’s nothing you can do about it.
“Every time I’m watching the videos, it’s like a rendition that just keeps going over and over in my head. My brother was no threat to him and you [Smith] just had no respect for him at that moment. You just belittled him in front of millions of people that watch the show.”
Smith resigned from the Academy on 1 April, five days after the incident.
Read Smith’s full response to the ban here. Follow along for live updates here.
