"It's got violence, sex - and it's not fatting."

That's what an on-line article playfully boasts about Jerry Thomas's Toughman boxing in West Virginia.

The Original Toughman, now in its 30th year nationally, rolls into Logan this weekend for its 20th-annual event.

For area boxing fans, the yearly Toughman is the pinnacle.

It's a chance to cheer on family members or friends who might be stepping into the ring, many of them for the first time.

It's a chance to take in the only area boxing event of the entire year and to step out of the box of the usual high school and youth sports activities which dominate the county.

For the hard-core or casual fan, it's an opportunity to satisfy their boxing fix.

It's popular.

It's entertaining.

And ... it's cool.

Thomas has been there at Logan from the very start, promoting all of the previous 19 events in town.

On fight night, Thomas, wearing a slick black tuxedo, also doubles as the ring announcer and helps choreograph the music and sound effects.

If Thomas announces a fighter to come to the ring but he is suffering from what is known as "Toughman flu" and does show up, often times Thomas will play a chicken sound effect.

Everyone has a nickname.

Everyone.

Some of those are pretty colorful such as "The Natural," "Bad A--," "Sweat Pea," "Big Nasty," "Stone Cold," "The People's Champion," "Bad Girl," and the "Boone County Brawler."

Thomas is part Michael Buffer and part Vince McMahon.

He really puts on a good show.

You can tell that he has a blast doing this.

Who wouldn't?

"It's our 20th year in Logan and my 30th year overall in Toughman if you can believe that," said Thomas, who is based in Clarksburg and promotes 12 Toughman events across the state of West Virginia each year, including Logan.

For more than 20 years, Thomas has been at the top of the Toughman franchise in West Virginia.

The Toughman "season" runs from November to April and Thomas spends just about every weekend going to all corners of the state from Logan to Huntington, to Morgantown to Elkins.

Logan is typical of many of those Toughman stops across the state.

The amatuer boxing event allows would-be fighters with little or no experience a chance to strut their stuff in the ring.

The fighters - both men and women - come from all walks to life from truck driers, prison guards, coal miners, former football players, beauticians who are boxing on a bet, to the unemployed or the soon-to-be over-the-hill (Toughman rules allow boxers to be no older than 39 years of age).

The Toughman boxers at the annual Logan Coal Area event come from all over.

Some are the hometown heroes from Logan, Chapmanville or Man.

Some come from Mingo, Wyoming, Lincoln or Boone counties. Some end up coming from as far away as Huntington, Charleston or even eastern Kentucky. This year, a boxer from far-off Lewisburg has signed up.

Sometimes it goes well for the arm-chair boxers.

Sometimes it doesn't.

Often times boxers will be on the mat seeing stars after a few hard blows and you'll sometimes see the girlfriend of the fallen boxer standing in the front row yelling at her boyfriend's aggressor.

But whatever the outcome, good sportsmanship is almost always the result no matter who wins.

Many times the losing boxer will hug the winner even as blood is dripping from their nose.

Toughman boxing, created by Art Dore in Bay City, Mich., in 1979, seems to be more popular than ever.

Last year's Toughman World Championships in Tunica, Miss., which had in its field a couple of champions from Logan in Jordan Moore and Carl Goff, was broadcast on Fox Sports Net.

Each year, Thomas packs Logan High School's Willie Akers Arena for two nights of sports entertainment.

Some 3,000 fans jam into the fieldhouse on Friday and Saturday nights to cheer on their favorites.

For anyone who has ever attended the Toughman at Logan it is pretty clear that Thomas not only knows what he's doing but gets it right every year.

A former Marine himself, Thomas usually has a Marine Corps color guard, a salute to our military (since the Toughman usually falls on Veterans Day week) and a rousing rendition of the national anthem sung the last several years by Dee Dee Dillon, now a senior at Logan High School.

Thomas said he's looking forward to coming back again to Logan this weekend for the Toughman.

"The people in Logan look forward to this," Thomas said. "They start early with contacting us and getting involved. We've seen a lot of good fighters and a lot of exciting matches. It's just been great and we're looking forward to keeping it going. The interest and the support in the community has just been unbelievable. We're very very happy to come to Logan again. It's like a home away from home."

Fighters such as Daniel Hensley, Jason McCloud, Jason Smith and Jordan Moore have been the crowd favorites over the last several years at the Logan Toughman, one passing the torch to the other.

After winning the Toughman, Chapmanville native Hensley went on to go pro. He went 7-0 as a pro boxer and has served the last several years as a Toughman trainer during the Logan event.

McCloud won two Toughman titles at Logan in the last decade and has also been a trainer for Toughman boxers.

Moore, McCloud's brother and a former standout baseball, football and basketball athlete at Logan High School, won back-to-back Toughman light heavyweight championships at Logan the last two years. He won't be able to box this year because of the Toughman's two-title per weight class limit but Thomas said Moore is toying with the idea of moving up to the heavyweight class in the January Toughman event in Huntington. For this year's Logan Toughman, Thomas said Moore will be at ringside serving as a trainer.

Thomas said there have been many memorable moments at Logan.

"There's been so many memorable times," he said. "I remember the very first event in Logan which was July 1983. I remember it very clearly because we held that event outside at the football stadium. It drew a crowd of about 3,000 people each night. One of the most memorable moments was when my brother fought on that card in a 10-round professional heavyweight fight as the featured attraction. He fought a guy from Cincinnati and it was a great bout that went eight rounds and my brother ended up winning."

Thomas said several of the same sponsors have stepped up each year to be a part of the Toughman.

"We deal with a lot of the same people each year," he said. "Mike Ferrell Toyota has been a sponsor as long as I can remember. We work with Suddenlink Media and Speedy Bevins with WVOW radio. We also work with Network West Virginia which is the broadcast arm of Suddenlink Media. That's the company that broadcasts the highlights of all of our events. We just renewed our contract with them for the fourth year."

Part of the Toughman draw (wink, wink) are the lovely ring girls, who wear colorful, skimpy bikinis and high heels, hold up the round number signs and strut around the ring to the Commodores' "Brick House" or Salt-n-Pepa's classic hip-hop ditty "Push it." Tops Dinner Club at Stollings is the site each year for the ring girl competition which picks the four finalists for the annual show.

The finals are scheduled for tonight.

"It's going to be another great event. Nancy Baisden and Donnie Baisden of Tops Dinner Club have been sponsoring the Ring Girl Contest as long as I can remember. I think they have been doing this for 16 or 17 years," Thomas said. "In fact, the finals are Wednesday night. Any girl (18 or older) who is interested in being a ring girl and being on center stage at the Toughman just has to bring their favorite bikini and show up at Tops tonight. I've been to some of the ring girl finals and it's a good time."

Most of the time Thomas doesn't make it to Logan until Thursday or Friday so he's unable to attend the ring girl finals at Tops.

"I'm unable to attend a lot of those because of the timing. We usually don't get into town until later in the week and our schedule is so busy, so unfortunately, I don't get to attend a lot of those but I do get to see the finished product," Thomas quipped.

This year's Toughman is scheduled for this Friday and Saturday nights. Some 65 boxers have signed up.

Bell time is 8 p.m. each night. The event is being sponsored by Mike Ferrell Toyota-Scion, Suddenlink media, 96.1 The Wolfe and Network West Virginia.

All bouts are scheduled for three, one-minute rounds, with all fighters wearing 16-ounce gloves, protective headgear and a mouth piece.

The men's weight divisions are: middleweight (140-159 pounds), light heavyweight (160-184) and heavyweight (185 pounds and up). The women's divisions are: lightweight (155 pounds and under) and heavyweight (156 pounds and up).

There is no entry fee.

Up to $8,000 in prize money will be awarded.

The champion in each of the men's divisions will receive $1,000 and the runners-up will each receive $280. Prize money for the women's divisions will be based on the average number of bouts and paid in proportion to the men's divisions.

Each champion will also be awarded a Toughman jacket. Champions qualify to advance to the Toughman World Championships where they will compete for up to $50,000. "Miss Ring Girl" will receive $1,000 in cash, a Toughman jacket and various other prizes. First, second, and third runners-up to Miss Ring Girl will receive $200 each, plus additional prizes.

To sign up to box, call 1-800-296-3897 or go online at: www.wvtoughman.com.

Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, including FYE and Macy's stores or at L.A. Liquor and Lottery in Logan. To charge tickets by phone, call 1-304-342-5757.