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HUNTINGTON -- The forecast for Huntington this weekend ... sporadic flurries of punches, a front of slinging sweat-sprayed showers for Friday and Saturday, and a high probability of ring girl-induced heat waves breaking out at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena.

Ding, ding.

Sounds like the 21st annual Tri-State Original Toughman contest is back in town.

Organized and emceed by legendary West Virginia boxing promoter, Jerry "The Suit" Thomas and his West Virginia Sports Promotions, Toughman begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Doors open at 6 p.m.

About four or more hours of wild and woolly amateur fights featuring 165 boxers of all shapes and sizes, begin just after 7:30 p.m., following the presentation of the colors by the Marines and the singing of the national anthem.

Tickets are $15 general admission, $20 reserved, $30 for VIP ringside.

Thomas, the dapper emcee and promoter who is in his 32nd year of promoting boxing and his 30th year of promoting Toughman, said nothing beats the excitement of the arena packed with more than 6,000 boxing fans cheering on friends and family in the ring.

In fact, the Huntington Toughman is perennially one of the top five Toughman's in the United States, and the top draw of the nearly dozen Toughman events in West Virginia.

Thomas, whose company has 20 events including 12 Toughman events, said although there are still a few spaces for women fighters, they had to turn away more than 100 guys who wanted to fight.

"Toughman is really hot here, and we can't handle all the requests for people who want to participate," Thomas said. "We have to set a limit, and we've got just under 165 fighters for Huntington -- our largest event."

Fighters, who range from 6-6, 320-pound Kevin Dolin, of Hamlin, to 5-1 fighter Paula VanHoose of Fort Gay, are battling for up to $8,000 in cash prize money in front of the rowdy, always sold-out crowds.

Champions in the men's light heavyweight, heavyweight and middleweight divisions each receive $1,000. The runners-up will each receive $280.

Prize money for the women's divisions is based on the average number of bouts and paid in proportion to the men's divisions.

Champions also get a Toughman jacket and qualify to advance to the World Championships.

In fact, last May, Marshall student Don Pennington, a Huntington resident and two-time Toughman champ in Huntington, got to be one of the 36 light heavyweight contestants selected to fight in the World Championships at Sam's Town Casino in Tunica, Miss., and one of the 13 fighters that qualified at West Virginia events.

Kaleb Slaughter, of Huntington, qualified in the heavyweight division which had 30 entries, and Wheeling winner, Lee McGinnis, a garbageman in Pittsburgh, won the heavyweight title for the second straight year.

Although Huntington fighters can breath easy that two-time champ, Pennington, who won one fight and lost his second in Tunica, isn't going to be in the ring. However, Justin Pennington, 28, said they've got another contender coming out of their gym to fight this weekend.

Justin Pennington said they've all been sparring at their home gym in Huntington with Nate Butcher, who's a middleweight.

Justin said that like Nate, the best advice for a Toughman contestant is to come prepared, i.e., be in good conditioning for the Tasmanian devil-like energy that may be coming at you from the other side of the ring.

"Conditioning is the main factor because Toughman is even different conditioning than regular boxing because of the short intervals and the explosiveness of it," Justin said. "It's sloppy and awkward, and it's hard to hold a good form with that much energy coming at you."

Justin said good advice for anyone entering Toughman is to try and land straight punches and keep moving constantly.

"Basically straight punches and perpetual head movement," he said. "Constant movement, that is the only thing I tell someone who has never done it before."

An ex-Marine who has promoted fights across the U.S. as well as in Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Denmark, Italy, France, England, Canada, Puerto Rico and Switzerland, Thomas said the main thing about Toughman is that they try and keep the amateur contest safe.

To keep it that way Toughman gets some of the best trainers and referees in the business, including senior referee Dave Johnson, the senior boxing referee in the state, and judge Sam Scaff, a former Toughman champ (1982) who fought 30 pro fights including ones against Mike Tyson and Tim Weatherspoon.

"We try and tell the fighters at every event that we don't care who wins but we do care that it is safe and fair," Thomas said.

Mark Webb/The Herald-Dispatch

Local residents battle it out at the 20th Annual Tri-State Original Toughman Contest in this Jan. 5, 2008, file photo. This year's bouts are set to start at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

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