When Jerry Thomas brought The Original Toughman Contest to Beckley, he wasn’t sure if the event would last.
Friday night, nearly 150 fighters will lace up the gloves when the 42nd annual event kicks off inside the Beckley Raleigh-County Convention Center.
“Everything is coming back to pretty close to normal. We have had six events this year and they all were good,” Thomas said. “Attendance is right back where it was with plenty of fighters. We are happy we are back in business.”
The biggest battle the last two years has been the restrictions put in place as a result of the Covid pandemic. However, with many restrictions now being lifted, Thomas is excited for the Toughman event in Beckley.
“We have had some great competition this year and we are looking for another great event in Beckley. All the trainers are back along with our staff. It is full speed ahead for the 42nd year in Beckley,” Thomas said.
While the Beckley event has been highlighted by experienced competitors the last couple of years, that will not be the case this year.
“Actually we are seeing more first-timers this year and that is what it is all about. That is what I like to see,” Thomas said. “After everyone weighs in, we start making the matches. We keep track of whether they are first-timers, second-timers, former champions or former runners-up. We do our best to match everyone to their weight, height and age. The last factor is experience.”
The goal for Friday night is to have the first time boxers square off with each other, if the factors fall in line to make that possible.
“If they haven’t had any experience, we prefer to match them against each other as long as the stats are close. That gives the beginners a chance to get one fight under their belt on Friday night,” Thomas said. “Saturday night is a different story. It has worked out pretty good and we have had some good fights.”
A couple of familiar names from last year’s event are Aaron Hairston from Beckley and former Summers County standout athlete Marcus McGuire.
Both fighters will be looking for a bit of redemption after finishing one win short of that coveted Toughman Jacket given to the champion of each division.
Hairston was runner-up in the heavyweight division and McGuire was runner-up as a middleweight.
“Cowboy” Matthew Bailey is one of two former champions scheduled to fight. Bailey won the middleweight title back in 2013.
The other former champ is Devon Steele from Hico, who won the 2014 event in Beckley and the 2015 event in Summersville as a lightweight (up to 139 lbs).
At that time, once a fighter won two Toughman titles, that fighter was no longer allowed to compete in future Toughman events.
“Two or three years ago, the State Boxing Athletic Commission changed it to three times,” Thomas said.
Steele was looking for his third title last year as a welterweight (140-159 lbs), but finished runner-up to Trevor Bell.
“I had surgery scheduled last year, so my plan was to fight and win. Then I was just going to have my surgery and be done with it for a while,” Steele explained.
After the fight, Steel’s life turned upside down with family tragedy and personal issues that put him in a tough place mentally.
“It was a rough few months, but I swear its has made me a better person,” Steele said.
Time in the gym and traveling to boxing events with Steve Neal, owner of Signal 12 Gym, helped Steele find his way back in the ring.
“After my surgery, I was hanging out with Steve Neal, our trainer. I was going to events with him to set up things,” Steele said. “The brotherhood we had with each other helped me get to a much better place mentally. I felt like I was ready to fight again.”
Steele will have to navigate his way through a field that includes 28 fighters if he is to become a three-time champ.
“I am just going to fight like I always do. I am going to put the pressure on them. I feel like I probably need to throw more punches,” Steele said. “That is something we have focused on. In my earlier wins, I was known for throwing a lot of punches.”
The fighting starts at 7 p.m. and tickets can be purchased at the Convention Center, on-line at wvtoughman.com or by calling 1-800-296-3897.
There is also a Pay-Per-View option for $19.99 that is available on the web-site.