Stacy Young was big - about 240 pounds - and she was strong. She had lifted weights in high school.
But she wasn't a fighter. In fact, she never picked a fight with anyone in her life.
"It's funny now looking back," Linda Lewis said of her 30-year-old daughter. "I always admired her ability to not get angry and to let things go. She called me Friday and said she was going to fight just once. So she could brag that she had the nerve to do it. And to make her husband proud.
Saturday night, with her husband and 9- and 12-year-old daughters watching, Young climbed through the ropes and into the ring at Robarts Arena in Sarasota for a women's bout in the Toughman competition. From the opening bell, Young's family said, she was clearly outclassed by a smaller but quicker opponent. She was knocked down several times during the three-round fight.
With 10 seconds left in the bout, Young was knocked down again. She sat up briefly, and then fell over, unconscious.
She was airlifted to Bayfront Medical Center, where doctors found she had suffered swelling and hemorrhaging in her brain. She was unable to breathe on her own and was connected to life support.
At 6:33 Monday night, doctors declared her dead. On Tuesday morning, Sarasota police announced they are investigating Young's death as suspicious.
"We were approached by a family member who claims there was criminal involvement," said police spokesman Jay Frank. "We're going to see if that's true. But right now, we don't even know the name of the woman she fought."
Frank said the Toughman competition, outlawed in five states because of the dangers to untrained competitors, has been held in the city for years.
An optician and mother of two from Bradenton, Stacy Young's universe revolved around her family, her job at Pearle Vision and taking college courses online though the University of Phoenix. In two years, she never got less than an A.
Chuck Young is a welder. They lived paycheck to paycheck, but they were getting by.
Chuck and Stacy attended the Toughman contest Friday and decided to return Saturday after it was announced that the event needed additional boxers. And because only one other woman was scheduled to fight, promoters offered to waive the $50 entrance fee for Stacy, said her sister, Jodie Meyers.
Chuck Young got in the ring first. He lost in 29 seconds.
Then it was Stacy Young's turn.
"She wasn't too nervous," Meyers said. "She just thought it was something fun and silly.
"But the girl she fought was about 5-foot-7 and 180 pounds. She looked solid and like she knew what she was doing. From the beginning it was pretty obvious Stacy was outmatched.
"The other girl was punching her (Stacy) repeatedly in her head.
"This was just a lark. A last-minute decision."
That's often the case.
In Toughman competitions, men and women compete for purses that range from $1,000 for local fights to $50,000 for the national title. Participants must be 18 or older. They pay a $50 entry fee, sign a waiver releasing promoters from liability and have their heart rate and blood pressure checked by a doctor, said Joelle English, head of public relations for AdoreAble Promotions, the event's parent company.
Boxers are ineligible if they have won five amateur bouts in the past five years.
Although Toughman fighters wear head gear, kidney protectors and 16-ounce gloves, there is still some danger.
The Associated Press reported Tuesday that at least three competitors have died in the past nine months and that some critics say the total number of deaths in the circuit's 24-year history is as high as nine.
Stacy Young was one of three people injured during the Sarasota competition put on by Michigan promoter Art Dore. Dore's amateur boxing matches are widely criticized by boxing experts for their lack of adequate supervision by both referees and fight doctors.
Because Dore does not offer more than $50 in prize money in Florida, the Toughman bouts aren't considered professional boxing and aren't regulated by the state. Boxers in professional fights are required to undergo strict medical evaluations and referees undergo rigorous training before they can judge a fight.
But even if the laws governing professional fights applied to Dore, it would only be a misdemeanor violation.
Amateur boxing in Florida is regulated by independent organizations, which sponsor the events, such as the Police Athletic League or Golden Gloves. Dore's bouts are sanctioned by the American Boxing and Athletic Association, a nonprofit company he created and controls.
"It is unacceptable for this type of tragedy to occur," Florida Boxing Commission Chairman Alvin Entin told AP. "It's not harmless fun and, candidly, it's pretty stupid. It's quasi-barbaric."
Stacy Young's organs were harvested Tuesday, funeral arrangements are being made and the Young family said it has retained Tampa lawyer Greg Kehoe to represent them.
As the family gathered to mourn at Meyers' home, they had dozens of questions. Was the screening process sufficient? Were the correct procedures followed? Will her death bring an end to competitions like the Toughman?
"If this is Stacy's last gift," said her mother, Linda Lewis, "that someone else is not going to die, then maybe there's some good that can come out of this.
"Stacy went into this just to have a good time."
-Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
To help defray funeral and other costs, a fund has been established at Florida First Bank, 11505 Palmbrush Trail, Bradenton. For information, call 941-747-1479.
