Gallery by Tina Laney
Just over a month ago, Wyoming East girls basketball standout, Cadee Blackburn was celebrating a Class AA state championship victory.
Saturday night inside the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center at the 43rd annual WV Original Toughman Contest, older brother Ethan Blackburn was winning a title of his own.
Battling through what is historically one the toughest weight classes, Blackburn bested Thomas Lefever by unanimous decision to win the Men’s Middleweight championship.
“The head movement and footwork were the key tonight. If I didn’t get out of the way of his punches, he was going to do some damage,” Blackburn said. “He hits like a tank. He hit me with a couple of shots that I definitely felt. I just (corrected) some of my mistakes I made in the first two fights and brought it home.”
Both fighters had a tough road to the finals with Lefever needing two wins to make the championship bout.
Lefever battered Matthew Trimmer in his opening bout, knocking him down twice in the opening round before winning by technical knockout in round two.
Blackburn opened with a unanimous decision win over Charles Huh who was very impressive in his opening bout Friday night.
The former Westside basketball star worked on Huh methodically through the first two rounds to take control of the fight. A pair of straight rights in round three bloodied Huh and nearly ended the fight, but Huh was able to stay upright until the bell sounded.
The second fight for Lefever was a a hard fought clash with Drake De La Cruz. With both fighters landing solid blows in all three rounds, the fight appeared it could have gone either way. Lefever survived on a close, but unanimous decision.
In the championship fight, Blackburn’s speed and quick counter punches frustrated Lefever over all three rounds.
“I tried to to bait him forward, so I could take him back. There was a couple of moments in the fight that he had me going backwards as well,” Blackburn admitted. “All props to him because he was a hell of a fighter. He was strong, but we put on a great show for everybody. That’s what it is all about.”
Blackburn talked Friday night about how getting into boxing was more of a joke at first. A simple bet with former Toughman champion and former professional fighter Tucker Lambert, turned Blackburn into a champion.
“I have known Ethan all of his life. He is a great athlete. Me and him kind of made a little bet” Lambert said. “I told him if I got abs in 3 months, he would have to come and work with me and be dedicated to me. That is the way he was. He came and worked with me and came to the gym a lot more. He put in the work and that was all he needed because he was already an athlete.”
Blackburn also talked Friday night about his head movement and footwork were his biggest strengths.
That was clearly evident in both bouts Saturday night.
“We play a game called “tag” which lets you sit there and throw punches without getting hit in the head, but it lets you get used to moving your head,” Lambert said. “He got good at “tag” and sparred everyday. That makes your form good in the ring instead of freezing up. His head movement was tremendous tonight.”
When asked about how he felt being a Toughman champion in his first try, the newly crowned Middleweight champion had this to say.
“I am coming back for another championship,” Blackburn said. “I definitely want to fight (in Beckley) the next two years.
Lambert is also hoping to bring more fighters to the Toughman contest in the future.
“I opened a gym in Baileysville called “Team Tucker”. I am trying to turn around southern West Virginia. I really am and I want everybody to have a chance to be a Toughman champion,” Lambert said. “God has blessed me and everything is flowing. Trust me, “Team Tucker” is going to be really big and hopefully we will be back here and we can be successful.”
Brandon Bailey also worked with Lambert and finished runner-up as a Cruiserweight in his first time in the ring.
“I was nervous, but they all make me look good,” Lambert said, smiling.
The Mount Hope Boxing Club had a pair of winners Saturday. “The Fight Nurse” Chelsea Williams won the Women’s Heavyweight division for the second year in a row before Anthony Lester won the Men’s Cruiserweight division.
Parkersburg native Vinnie “The Vampire” Baisi won his third title of the year in the Men’s Welterweight division. Baisi also won this year in Wheeling and Parkersburg.
Baisi stopped the run for a third championship by Devon Steele who clearly gave the champ all he wanted. Baisi won on an extremely close, but unanimous decision over Steele.
“Starvin” Marvin Workman won the Men’s Lightweight division in a hard hitting, tight bout with Kevin “K-flex” Hicks by split decision. Workman celebrated with a back-flip off of the ropes.
Paige Neal from Oak Hill dropped a split decision to Meagan-Ann Baptist in her attempt to be a three-time champion. With no fighters showing up in the Lightweight division where she normally fights, Neal moved up to fight in the Welterweight Division.
Tyler Mileto won the Men’s Heavyweight crown with a TKO over Shawn Granese.
43rd Annual WV Original Toughman Contest
Championship Bouts
Women
Welterweight Division
Meagan-Ann Baptista d. Paige Neal, split decision
Heavyweight Division
Chelsea Williams d. Heather Schrader, Unanimous decision
Men
Lightweight Division
Marvin Workman d. Kevin Hicks, Split decision
Welterweight Division
Vinnie Baisi d. Trent Sayre, Unanimous decision
Middleweight Division
Ethan Blackburn d. Thomas Lefever, Unanimous decision
Cruiserweight Division
Anthony Lester d. Brandon Bailey, TKO
Heavyweight Division
Premliminary bouts (Men)
Lightweight Division
Kevin Hicks d. Josh Goode, split decision
Marvin Workman d. Jaron Panossian, TKO (2 round)
Kevin Hicks d. Holden Wyrick, TKO
Welterweight Division
Trent Sayre d. Mark Harper, Unanimous decision
Josh Glasure d. Eddie Osborne, Unanimous decision
Vinnie Baisi d. Devon Steele, Unanimous decision
Trent Sayre d. Eli Chavous, Unanimous decision
Vinnie Baisi d. Josh Glasure, Unanimous decision
Middeweight Division
Thomas Lefever d. Matthew Trimmer, TKO (2nd round)
Drake De la Cruz d. Chandler Reed, forfeit
Ethan Blackburn d. Charles Huh, Unanimous decision
Thomas Lefever d. Drake De La Cruz, Unanimous decision
Cruiserweight Division
George White d. C.J. Machniak, TKO (3rd round)
Brandon Bailey d. Eric Fultonberger, TKO (1st round)
Anthony Lester d. George White (Medical TKO, 1st round)
Heavyweight Division
Aaron Hairston d. Jacob Godfrey, KO (1st round)
Shawn Granese d. Noah McGraw, Split-decision
Tyler Mileto d. Aaron Hairston, (Medical TKO, 1st round)