Fatal Toughman matches and stricter state regulations make it hard to gain sanctioning.
By TOM ZUCCO
Published September 3, 2004
Toughman amateur boxing contests are finding tough going in Florida in the face of stricter safety standards after the 2003 death of a Bradenton woman.
The Florida State Boxing Commission on Thursday rejected a request to license a group created and controlled by Toughman founder Art Dore that hopes to stage an amateur boxing match later this month. But the commission left the door open for the American Boxing and Athletic Association, a nonprofit corporation based in Bay City, Mich., to reapply.
At least 13 people have died in Toughman competitions around the nation since 1979, including Stacy Young, a 30-year-old mother of two who was beaten into a coma and died after entering a Toughman competition in Sarasota County in June 2003.
The competitions have been banned in five states, and in May, the Florida Legislature passed the Stacy Young Act, which prohibits staging amateur fights unless the match is sanctioned and supervised by an organization approved by the Florida Boxing Commission. Previously, many amateur fights were unregulated.
Commissioners said they wanted to check and verify the experience, training and background of the medical personnel and referees who work for the ABAA.
"Those are things we need to know," said Max Parker Jr., the commission's acting assistant executive director, "in order to go forward with the application."
Commissioner Barbara Auger brought up the case of ABAA referee Ray Blackburn. "It looks to me like Mr. Blackburn is very experienced in setting up rings," Auger said. "But there is no date that shows when he was trained as a judge."
Although no one mentioned it, Blackburn was the referee in the ring during Young's fight.
After commissioners voted against the application, they added they "might act favorably provided the information staff has requested is received."
But Lydia Robertson, southern coordinator for the ABAA and a licensed promoter for Toughman, said providing that information could be difficult.
"To ask for references for every referee and every doctor for every show licensed over the last 21/2 ... that is very burdensome," Robertson said. "But I'm certainly going to give them the detailed information.
"They (commissioners) seemed to be putting Mr. Parker on notice it could happen quickly. Hopefully, that's the case."
Don Meyers, Stacy Young's brother-in-law and one of those who spearheaded the effort to get the Stacy Young Act passed, said he was pleased with the ruling.
"It's not about eliminating amateur boxing," Meyers said. "It's about doing it in a safe, consistent manner. They (the ABAA) have to prove they're in good standing."
An ABAA event scheduled for the TECO arena in Fort Myers later this month has been postponed, and nationwide the number of Toughman contests has declined.
In July of last year, Toughman's Web site listed 65 events scheduled throughout the country.
As of Thursday, there were 26 contests listed, the majority of them in Ohio (6) and West Virginia (10).
