www.mybaycity.com July 8, 2007
Sports Article 1698

The World Famous Original Toughman Contest Returns to TV, July 11, 2007

Created by Bay City Businessman Art Dore in 1979.

July 8, 2007
By: Julie McCallum, Entertainment Editor



The World Famous Original Toughman Contest returns to television, with Toughman Founder, Bay City Businessman Art Dore, on Wednesday, July 11, 2007 at 9 PM on Fox Sport Net's Best Damn Sports Show, Period (Fox Sports Detroit locally).

Filmed at Heritage Hall (one of the oldest buildings in Oklahoma), the show will feature fighters in non stop action packed entertainment, featuring, Art Dore, who is the master of ceremonies and ring announcer.

The prime time television will feature great fights, great knockouts, controversial decisions, great hearts, great ring girls, plus behind the scene stories on the fighters.

The Original Toughman Contest was created by Dore in 1979. Dore tells the story of how he became fed up with listening to the armchair athletes talk about how "they could beat that guy". So one weekend, he and longtime friend Dean Oswald rented a local arena (Handy High School Gymnasium) and opened it up to the guys who wanted to prove how tough they were.

The boxing fans had the opportunity to see what they really wanted: the hometown boys and the seasoned street fighters with little or no boxing skills, but lots of guts. "Toughman" was billed as clean, down to earth, back to basics fights.

There were no professionals nor ringers, just 32 big, tough guys that would battle to become "The Toughest Man in Town!". Local champions would advance to regional and national tournaments to fight for $50,000.00 in prize money and the title "Toughest Man Alive."

Toughman aired on Fox's FX Network from 1999-2002. Toughman bouts consist of 3 - one minute rounds of boxing, with fighters wearing 16 ounce gloves, headgear and groin protectors. The Original Toughman Contest is the best attended boxing event in America over the past 28 years.

Over 100,000 contestants have competed in Toughman and Toughwoman contests since 1979, Toughman represents almost 1/3 of all boxing events in America. API hosts approximately 75-100 shows per year in towns across America with winners advancing to the Toughman World Championships.

Toughman was immortalized in the 1984 Twentieth Century Fox movie "TOUGH ENOUGH" starring Dennis Quaid, Warren Oates, and Stan Shaw; was made into the Sega Genesis Game "Toughman Contest" has launched the careers of many fighters including Christy Martin, Tommy Morrison, Rocky Gannon, Ken Shamrock, Butterbean, and Mr. T..


AdoreAble Promotions, Inc. is the owner of the federal trademark "The Original Toughman Contest". Based in Bay City, API promotes in excess of 150 events per year including Toughman Contests, Tough Gloves amateur boxing, The Toughman Professional Boxing, Concerts, Festivals, an ARCA Race Team, Motorcycle Shows, Celebrity Bookings, and Charity Events.

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