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Founded in 1979 in Bay City, Michigan by boxing promoter Art Dore, the Toughman Contest is a chance for the novice amateur fighters (those with no more than 5 winning fights in the past 5 years) to test themselves in the ring.

Using standard boxing rules, 16 oz. gloves, headgear, and 3 rounds of 1 minute with a 45 second rest period, The Original Toughman Contest plays across the US in between 75 and 100 cities each year and culminates with the World Championship.

Tournaments feature the local residents of a particular city (generally, participants must live within a 75-mile radius of where the event is to be held) who are at least 18 years of age and are willing to sign a waiver freeing the parent company from liability. Although Toughman has had over 100,000 participants in its tournaments since 1979 and boasts a stellar safety record, it remains a highly controversial event and is banned in some states.

Toughman made Art Dore a celebrity and generated a Twentieth Century Fox Movie called Tough Enough which starred Dennis Quaid and was about Dore and the boxing phenomenom he conceived after finding the crowds wanted to see ordinary people fight, not boxers practicing the sweet science.

Toughman alumni include Mr. T, Tommy Morrison, Eric "Butterbean" Esch, and from the fall of 2006, the winner of the "Contender Television Series,"-- the former Lawton, OK Toughman Contest Champion, Grady "Bad Boy" Brewer. Also, Maine State Representative Chris Greeley, who fought in 1996, and who was recently elected to a third Term in the Maine House of Representatives.

2005 World Championship Results

Aubrey Bickerstaff (14-0 5 ko's) is the 2005 World Toughman Light-Heavyweight Champion by defeating Ryan Carroll (13-3 9 ko's)

Glen Sovich (record unknown) is the 2005 World Toughman Heavyweight Champion by defeating Ray Carpenter (8-2)

2006 World Championship Results

Joshua Brown (38-3) is the 2006 World Light-Heavyweight Toughman Champion by defeating Mike Tufariello (record unknown) via Unanimous Decision

Lee McGinnis (14-1) is the 2006 World Heavyweight Toughman Champion by defeating Devo Devuono (30-4) via KO in the 3rd round