Toughman Dies After Fight

(Dayton, Ohio) Yesterday, Steven Burress, of Martins Ferry, died at Good Samaritan Hospital. The Montgomery County Coroner's office said a ruling on the cause of death is pending. There's reason to believe that the cause of death is tied to Burress being "repeatedly struck and punched in the head" during a heavyweight championship Toughman Contest Saturday night at Hara Arena in Trotwood.

Reasonably, the coroner must rule out the possibility of a preexisting condition causing the death but, in reality, it's not unusual for a person to die after suffering a severe beating. I can still vividly recall Boom Boom Mancini subjecting Duk Koo Kim to a fatal beating in a title fight in November of 1982. Interestingly, professional prizefighters live by a rule book which provides some minimal protections to the pugilists. As I understand it, Toughman Championship competitions start by throwing out the rule book.

Obviously, Burress' death is an immense personal tragedy. Unfortunately, it is also an occurrence of moderately high probability. Men, and women, are putting their lives at risk for trophies and bragging rights. I'd like to express my candid opinions on the subject, but I'm afraid one of these idiots would find me and beat my brains out.