The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

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March 28, 2008

Women’s bouts highlight opening night of Toughman

By Randall Jett

Mullens’ Mallory Grogg proved it’s not just the men out to answer the Toughman question, “How tough are you?’”

The daughter of Wyoming East football coach Kevin Grogg and her opponent, Virginia Slavey of Mabscott, fought one of the best bouts of the opening night of the 29th annual Southern West Virginia Toughman Contest Friday at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center.

“It was good,” Grogg said. “I feel fine.

“It was what I expected it to be, exactly what I thought.”

Grogg scored a unanimous decision over Slavey in the women’s heavyweight division to advance to the second night of action.

“I’ve always wanted to do it,” Grogg said. “I just started training and doing stuff and decided I was going to (enter) this year. I don’t know, I just up and did it one day, I guess.”

The other early women’s match saw another Mullens native, Melanie McGraw, earn a decision over Lorado’s Angela Mullens in the lightweight division.

The men were just as excited as the women over competing. First-time fighter Justin Hart opened the event with a decision over Layland’s Todd Farley in the middleweight division.

Afterward, the Mount Hope fighter was beaming.

“I liked it,” Hart said. “It was my first time fighting.”

Knockouts were at a premium in the first 21 of 43 scheduled bouts. Charleston heavyweight Ron Stone floored Beckley’s Steve Smith for the only KO.

Along with Hart, Dennis Gore, Robert Keeney, Donny McMillion and Greg Buckland garnered decisions in the middleweight division.

Derrick O’Dell and Patrick McNeeley grabbed technical knockout wins in the middleweights.

In the light heavyweights, Darryl Gus won by forfeit, Quincy Yancy, Adam Thompson, Jerry Adkins and Nick Keiffer scored TKOs and Michael Morton and defending champion Matthew Craddock won by decisions.

In the heavyweights, Gary Boone and Herman Price advanced by decisions, while Aaron Webb and Jonathan Williams TKO’d their way to the second day of competition.

Last year’s heavyweight runner-up Robert Ward of Slab Fork was declared ineligible to compete Friday. He was ruled ineligible because he won two Rough and Rowdy bouts earlier this year.

The final day of the Toughman Contest gets under way at 7:30 tonight. Gates open at 6 p.m.

— E-mail:

rjett@register-herald.com

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