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In this corner ...
By TAMARA LUSH, Times Staff Writer TAMPA -- Ever wonder what that bar brawl would have felt like if you hadn't drunk six beers? On Thursday night at the Ice Palace, 36 men and two women found out. They paired off and beat the stuffing out of each other, hoping to win the regional Toughman Contest, sponsored by FX. "These guys are truly sportsmen," said Art Dore, the promoter and creator of the Toughman concept. "It's just a chance for the ordinary guy to get in there and prove his ability in the ring." The event is part boxing, part circus, part American dream. There's Dan Meieher, who said he smokes too much. He climbed in the boxing ring wearing something resembling hiking boots. There's Billy Ostrander of Winter Haven, who works at a Publix warehouse and is a wiry 6-foot-1 and 176 pounds. He is light and fast and wins often. There's Frank Stephens, 37, of Tampa, who just wanted to fight someone, anyone, because he likes the adrenaline rush. All were just one punch away from greatness. If they win the entire competition, they will gain money, a gold ring, and a shot at fame. Mr. T won the Toughman in 1980, long before the A-Team. So did an enormous boxer named "Butterbean." Tommy Morrison, a heavyweight now battling HIV, also won. The men who turned out Thursday were carpenters and plumbers, warehouse guys who work at Publix and bar bouncers. Some were average-sized guys. Some had thighs bigger than a supermodel's hips. All casually say that they have fought often. When asked where, they shrug and say simply, "the street." Most have tattoos. None admitted to being nervous, scared or anxious before they stepped into the ring. "I just feel like testing myself," said Ken Sheets, a 25-year-old carpenter from New Port Richey. He is 6-feet-6 and weighs 250 pounds. Fighters are divided into two weight classes -- heavyweight and light heavyweight. Each bout consists of three, one-minute rounds. Participants wear headgear and 16-ounce boxing gloves (professional weight is 12 ounces) and undergo a physical before fighting. Kicking, head butting, wrestling or biting is not allowed. "These guys are crazy," said Dr. Bruce Kruglick of Sarasota, who inspected the fighters beforehand. "I'm an ER doctor. I see people in fights all day long. Here it's for glory." But the Toughman's best story of all may be Dore, the man in charge. More than 20 years ago, he was a boxing promoter in Michigan. He was tired of guys in bars saying that they could beat up his boxers. So Dore had an idea: put regular guys in the ring. People loved it. Esquire magazine profiled him. Hollywood called. He's now a celebrity with his own nationally televised show. He still lives in Michigan. Dore, who is 65 and wears four gold and diamond rings, looks a little like Kenny Rogers. Or Ernest Hemingway. He has a gravelly voice and oddly admits that he doesn't consider himself macho. He doesn't need to. Dore is the ringmaster, the P.T. Barnum of the Toughman contest. He's exported his show overseas, and it has spawned a popular Sega video game. As the emcee on Thursday, Dore joked with boxers, smiled kindly at the ring girls -- who were strippers from Secrets, a Tampa club -- and whipped the crowd into a frenzy with phrases such as, "Some take a stomping. Others do the whomping!" He travels to a different city each weekend to emcee the show. He wears a black tuxedo and black cowboy boots. He loves his job. "It's fantastic entertainment," he said. "It's been 23 years, and I'm amazed every week."
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