A Decorated Marine, An Active Army Soldier & 3 Policemen! (4/30/08)
Coming to Tunica to Become “ THE TOUGHEST MAN ALIVE!”
Press Release


The 2008 Toughman World Championships will be held at the beautiful Sam’s Town Casino-Tunica, inside the River Palace Entertainment Center over three incredible nights, Thursday, May 29th (LHW PRELIMINARIES), Friday, May 30th (HW PRELIMINARIES) and the FINALS in both divisions on Saturday, May 31st, 2008. 36 Light Heavyweight and 29 HW local Champions from around the United States have entered and are training to do battle for the title “Toughman World Champion!”.

The event will be filmed by Fox Sports Net to air as four shows this June on FSN nationwide. The fighters are blue collar, white collar, no-collar-at-all men from every walk of life, ready to get in the ring and fight for fame, fortune, and the cheers of family and friends. In Toughman, only the winners get paid ($20,000 per division, winner takes all), so they fight that much harder than pro boxers or ultimate fighters. Each fighter has a compelling story on what Toughman means to them, the thrill of winning a local event, how they are approaching their ultimate goal of a World Championship, and what they would do with the money if they won. (Pay off debts, help hurricane victims, buy a Harley, go on vacation, start a pro boxing career, etc…)

The Decorated Marine
Will “The Sandman” Thiery
Hometown: West Milton, Ohio
Age: 38 years old
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 215 pounds
Retired decorated US Marine. Married to Holly with a daughter Savannah. Favorite Fighter: Floyd Mayweather Jr. with his great training methods and dedication. 2-time Marine Corp Boxing Champion. Served in Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Has Black Belt in Kempo and studies Gracie Jui-Jitsu. Also he never forgot where he came from and gives back to his community. Special thanks to Know Your Enemy Shirts, Feel the Pain Fight Gear, Gaspari Nutrition, Tropicana Bay, Sprawl Fight Shorts and especially for our Troops fighting for our freedom. Also fighting for Matt Maupin and his folks out of the Yellow Ribbon Support Center.

Hometown: West Milton, Ohio
Will “The Sandman” Thiery
Retired decorated US Marine. Married to Holly with a daughter Savannah. Favorite Fighter: Floyd Mayweather Jr. with his great training methods and dedication. 2-time Marine Corp Boxing Champion. Served in Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Has Black Belt in Kempo and studies Gracie Jui-Jitsu. Also he never forgot where he came from and gives back to his community. Special thanks to Know Your Enemy Shirts, Feel the Pain Fight Gear, Gaspari Nutrition, Tropicana Bay, Sprawl Fight Shorts and especially for our Troops fighting for our freedom. Also fighting for Matt Maupin and his folks out of the Yellow Ribbon Support Center
Age: 38 years old
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 215 pounds
To Contact Will “The Sandman” Thiery call 937.698.2166


The Active Army Soldier
“ Bad Boy” Brian Longstreet
Hometown: Killeen, Texas
Age: 40 years old
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 184 pounds
Tank Mechanic in the US ARMY stationed at Ft. Hood. Married for 20 years with 3 kids. Toughman record: 14-3 with 8 knockouts. Champion: Logan, WV. Favorite fighter: Holyfield, pure heart! Special thanks to family and Army. To Contact “BadBoy” Brian Longstreet call 254.432.4546

Policeman #1
Joseph “Polish Assassin” Bialkowski
Hometown: Racine, Wisconsin
Age: 26 years old
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 184 pounds
Police Officer for the City of Racine. 2-time Milwaukee Rumble Champion (Toughman with kicking). Will take a 3 week trip to Spain with his winnings. Toughman Record: 11-3. Favorite Fighter: Oscar De Le Hoya - he has the most heart. Special thanks to all my friends that help train me or will put on gloves to hit me! To Contact Joseph “Polish Assassin” Bailowski call 262.716.9378

Policeman #2
Melvin “Lawdawg” Brown
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Age: 33 years old
Height: 5’9”
Weight: 250 pounds
S.W.A.T. officer for Metro Nashville Police Department. Personally kicked in hundreds of dope dealers’ doors. 4th degree black belt karate instructor. Champion: Meridian, MS. Coaches youth football and baseball. Plays linebacker in adult full contact football league. Younger brother is LHW, Josh “Downtown” Brown. Favorite fighter: Tyson, every punch he throws has a purpose. Special thanks to family and friends!! To Contact Melvin “Lawdawg” Brown call 615.957.1974

Policeman #3
Joshua “Downtown” Brown
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Age: 29 years old
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 184 pounds
Deputy for the Davidson County Sheriffs Office. Married to Michelle with 4 sons. Defending Toughman LHW World Champion. Coach youth football and baseball. Play semi-pro football. Toughman record: 44-3 with 27 knockouts. Favorite Fighter: Tyson, ferocious. Special thanks to my dad, Melvin Brown, my wonderful family, and beautiful wife, Michelle. To Contact Joshua “Downtown” Brown call 615.299.5444

Each bout consists of 3 – one minute rounds of boxing with participants wearing 16 ounce gloves and USA Boxing approved headgear. With only one minute per round, the action is fast and furious. There is no time for show, you gotta go! Fighters don’t get style points in Toughman; they only get points for kicking ass!!

The appeal of Toughman is that the entrants are just everyday, ordinary men- armchair athletes, previous almost made-its, former high school champs, bad boy in town – literally all types but with a dream. All the fighters are signed up and ready to go, to do interviews, to promote themselves and the event. Fighters are tree trimmers, bartenders/bouncers, college students, construction workers, car detailer, disc jockey, car salesman, several police officers, a minister, personal trainer, garbage man, truck driver, business owners, Marine and Army personnel, and a bodyguard just to name a few. (Fighter Bios attached)

They come from all corners of the United States, representing Mississippi, California, Indiana, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, Texas, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Maryland, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire.

Tickets for all three days went on sale today at the Sam’s Town Atrium Box Office, Ticketmaster.com or charge at 901.525.1515. General Admission only $25.00 in advance/$30.00 days of show. Front row $75.00, 2nd row $65.00, 3rd row $55.00. Elevated VIP Tables (10 seats per table) are available by calling 501.664.1118. Special discounts available for Sam’s Town Prime Reward card holders (buy 3 tickets, get fourth free).

Don’t miss the official fighter weigh-in and meet the media Press Event on Wednesday, May 28th at 7 PM inside Sam’s Town Casino. Come meet the fighters, their families, and Toughman founder and television ring announcer Art Dore. Follow your favorite fighters from the start throughout the event. For more information, press credentials and b-roll footage, contact Stephen Coppler, President at 888.868.4462 or steve@toughmancontest.com.