WEST VALLEY CITY -- The battle to be Utah's toughest man raged at the E Center Friday and Saturday, with brawlers from all over the state meeting in the boxing ring to win the title.
The event, which requires headgear and is sanctioned by the Utah Boxing Commission, was open to anybody in Utah wishing to participate.In what amounts to an organized, annual "fight club," men in two weight classes and three women met to battle it out. The competition was still in progress when the Deseret News went to press, but even the early bout victors knew there was more than just winning at stake.
"The Tank" Alvino DelaCruz, the competition's heaviest participant at 335 pounds, loves the opportunity to compete each year.
"I have had a pretty rough life, and this is a really good thing if you like competition," said the Cottonwood High graduate who hasn't found many safe places to rumble since high school football and wrestling came to an end. "It is tougher than you think. (Each round) is the longest minute ever, anywhere."
DelaCruz's fight received one of the biggest crowd reactions when his opponent punched him several times after the first-round bell sounded, angering DelaCruz. He threw down his boxing gloves and was ready to street fight, but he was held back by three officials.
The event was not staged, and DelaCruz second-guessed his reaction after the bout but did shake hands with his injured opponent.
"What he did is uncalled for," DelaCruz said. "I let him know it."
After calming the situation down and getting re-gloved, DelaCruz prevailed in the second round when his suddenly limping opponent quit.
One division that was decided by press time was the women's, where Cindy "The Bucket" Peet defeated last year's champion Heather "Brickhouse" Beasley.
"She was tough," said Peet, who didn't expect to win the division coming in.
"I feel lucky to get out with a championship."
The event is televised each weekend on the cable channel FX. The Utah edition will broadcast early in the show's second season, but a date has not been announced yet.
Competition originator Art Dore was on hand to introduce the fighters. He has organized more than 1800 fights in 20 years of competition, helping launch the careers of Mr. T and Tommy Morrison.