By Staff
LANDING A BLOW Danny Locklear of Newton lands a shot on James Tims of Laurel during the Toughman Competition at the Frank Cochran Center on Friday night. Locklear, 35, defeated the 54 year old in the first round.PHOTO BY KYLE CARTER / THE MERIDIAN STAR
By Robby Atkinson / staff writer
Feb. 28, 2004
Who is the toughest man in Meridian? That question has been asked all over town the past few weeks and on Friday night at the Frank Cochran Community Center the fans attendance got a small slice of what tough really means.
The first night of the Toughman Contest in Meridian featured fighters from all over the state of Mississippi and the Southeast. The fighters ranged from 21 years old to 54 years of age.
Founder and CEO of the Toughman Contest Art Dore is very happy to have brought the contest back to the Queen City for the second consecutive year.
The Toughman Contest was broken down into several different weight classes and the rules are just like a regular boxing match. The weight classes that were featured on Friday night included: lightweight, light heavy weight, and the heavyweight division.
The first bout of the evening set the tone for the entire night as Bryan Keith of Wiggins called it quits in the opening round due to fatigue. Justin Coach was the winner by the forfeit. Coach is from Waynesboro and weighed in at an official 357 pounds.
The biggest bout of the night followed as Larry Boyd of Meridian squared off against Mike Fuller of Collinsville. Fuller won the decision by a knockout in the third round due to several hard blows to the body.
The most entertaining of the bouts featured the oldest fighter in the heavyweight category. James Tims of Laurel entered the contest at age 54 and lost by TKO to Danny Locklear of Newton.
The Toughman Contest is also celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and will be doing something very special for the armed forces in the Middle East. The plan is to travel to Afghanistan and hold an event that will feature Army vs. Navy, which will not include football as most people are accustomed to.
The final day of the Toughman Contest in Meridian is set to conclude today at 8 p.m. All fighters that won or lost on Friday night will compete on Saturday. The event is set up in a double-elimination bracket format. Advanced tickets Saturday will go on sale at the front door of the Frank Cochran Community Center today at noon.