The Toughest Guy In Town, Part One
By Sonofjack,sonofjackwell@gmail.com
Eric faces an unlikely challenger in the local Tough Guy contest


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This is part one of a recent commission piece I did.

As always, I welcome any reader comments that any of you would care to share.
I'm always willing to consider new story ideas, and, of course, I continue to
write stories on commission. Send your comments and or commission requests to
sonofjackwell@gmail.com

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As Eric Stodden looked at his manly physique in the mirror, he had to admit
that he was impressed with what he saw. It's true that he had gotten slightly
softer around the middle in the last couple of years. His six pack abs were
not quite what they once were. Even so, at twenty-eight, he still had a build
that most men would envy.

Eric knew that this was true, and it gave him a sense of pride. If anyone
doubted that Eric still had what it took to kick some ass, he was determined
to show them the error of their ways. Today was the day of the annual Tough
Guy contest sponsored by Pete's Gym, the local gym that Eric belonged to. This
year would mark Eric's fifth time for participating in the Tough Guy contest.
In fact, he was a four-time champ, and today he would be defending his title
for the fifth year.

It gave Eric a feeling of satisfaction to know that he could defeat men who
were as much as ten years younger than he was. Of course, he didn't think that
he was anywhere near as skilled as a professional fighter. This was strictly
an amateur contest. It wasn't affiliated with any official league or
association.

This competition was sort of a hybrid between Toughman and MMA competitions.
The participants wore headgear, mouthpieces, a protective cup and six ounce
gloves and were allowed to use whatever fighting style they wanted. Punches,
kicks and various grappling holds were legal. Biting, scratching, hitting
below the belt, eye gouging, ear pulling and fish-hooking were illegal.

Opponents fought for three, three minute rounds. A fighter was declared the
winner in one of the following ways: by pinning his opponent's shoulders to
the mat for five seconds, by knocking an opponent out for ten seconds, by
forcing an opponent to submit, by the referee ending the fight or by decision
of the judges.

In the four years that Eric had fought, no one had lasted the entire time with
him. Most of the time, Eric won by pinning his opponent; when he really wanted
to make a point, he forced his opponent to submit. Eric preferred not to do a
lot of hitting or kicking. His victories were usually a result of his
wrestling skills alone. Being 6'6" and weighing in at just under
two-ninety-five gave Eric a natural size advantage over most opponents. He was
also very strong as well as very quick and agile.

When Eric entered the contest five years before, he did so more-or-less on a
whim. However, he was not surprised when he won. For winning, he got bragging
rights, his picture in the local newspaper and his name placed on a plaque on
a wall of the gym. His real prize came later that night. When he told his
beautiful young girlfriend - now wife - the good news, she gave him the
greatest congratulations blowjob of his life.

Eric's wife has continued giving him the same "special prize" every year. This
unique reward is one of the main reasons Eric continues to compete in the
Tough Guy contest year after year. Another reason is that as defending
champion he feels a bit of an obligation to defend his title.

The way this particular competition works is that the defending champion does
not have to fight any preliminary rounds. All the other contestants fight in
preliminary rounds until a number one contender emerges. Then the number one
contender fights the defending champion to determine the overall winner. This
gives the defending champion a distinct advantage since he is not required to
fight and risk injury in any earlier bouts.

Eric manages to maintain his competitive edge by working out a lot,
maintaining a healthy diet and generally staying in very good shape. His
young, sexy wife inspires and encourages him to do so.

Even so, Eric considered not competing this year and "retiring" his
championship. He believed that he was getting too old for such foolishness.
Besides, he felt that he no longer had anything to prove. Once again, it was
his incredibly hot twenty-two year old wife that insisted that Eric compete
one last time. He wasn't sure why she wanted him to fight again, but Eric's
wife had a way of getting Eric to do whatever she wanted him to do.

As Eric was getting ready in the locker room, Pete, the owner of the gym,
stuck his head in and said, "Are you just about ready, Champ?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," answered Eric.

Pete stepped into the locker room and said, "You sound worried."

"Maybe I am a little. This new kid looks pretty tough, and I'm not as young as
I used to be." The "new kid" Eric referred to was Joe "Bubba" Brooks - a big,
strong nineteen year old that was competing in the Tough Guy contest for the
first time. Bubba was not one of Pete's regular customers so Eric didn't know
him that well. About all that Eric knew was what he learned by watching Bubba
brutally destroy one opponent after another in the preliminary rounds. He'd
secured the spot as number one contender in the final qualifying match the day
before.

"Aw, don't worry, Champ," Pete said, "You'll take him." Despite Pete's
assurances, Eric wasn't completely convinced. For his part, Pete had his own
reasons for pumping up Eric. It turns out that this local Tough Guy
competition had become something of a lucrative cash cow for Pete's Gym. The
contest had gained in popularity in recent years, and a lot of the credit for
that went to Eric's status around town.

Eric was well known and well liked in the small community. Because of this he
had a healthy following of people who otherwise would never have come near an
amateur fight contest but who were willing to pay a few bucks to watch Eric
win another championship. That's why when Eric went to the area where the ring
was set up, he found that the surrounding space was filled with as many rented
folding chairs as Pete could fit in. Furthermore, every chair was filled.

In the very front row near the corner reserved for the defending champion was
Tim Bogart. If most spectators were there to watch Eric win his fifth
championship, Tim was definitely the exception. Tim had been the number one
contender and faced Eric in the championship three years ago and again two
years ago. Tim was a sore loser, and he hated Eric.

Tim's multiple defeats at Eric's hands was particularly hard for him to take
since, unlike most of his opponents, Tim was actually just as tall as Eric and
weighed slightly more. What's more, Tim trained just as hard as Eric did. His
body was composed of sturdy bones and hard muscles. Even so, he could never
seem to gain the advantage over his arch rival. But if he couldn't beat Eric,
the next best thing watching as someone else did.

As Eric walked up to his corner, Tim smiled and said, "I came here today to
watch Bubba beat the shit out of you, Stodden; I don't mind telling you that
I'm really going to enjoy this." Tim was sure that Eric had more than met his
match this time because Bubba was even bigger than Eric or Tim. He was a few
inches taller and at least thirty pounds heavier.

Furthermore, the extra weight that Bubba had over Eric was pure muscle. Bubba
was undoubtedly stronger than Eric and demonstrated in his earlier matches
that he was capable of delivering both devastating punches and kicks. He also
revealed a mean streak. Bubba didn't just like to win, he liked to punish his
adversaries.

Eric returned Tim's glare and said, "Yes, well, he hasn't beaten me yet, has
he?"

"Not yet, but fifteen minutes from now, it'll all be over," replied Tim.

"I'll tell you what," Eric shot back, "If things don't turn out the way you
think, and I win this championship, I'll still be in the ring afterwards
waiting to take on your sorry ass again. How about that?"

Tim didn't reply.

What Eric was referring to was another little quirk of this particular
competition. After the defending champion and the number one contender fight,
whoever wins is not declared that year's champ until a challenge is issued to
the audience.

Anyone in the audience is free to step up and try to take away the
championship from the winner of the fight between the defending champ and the
number one contender. The only rule is the challenger from the audience can't
be someone who participated in any of the earlier rounds of the competition
that year.

Only twice during Eric's reign as champion have members of the audience
stepped up to face him. The first time was after his first championship. The
other time was last year when Tim decided to skip all the preliminary matches.
He reasoned that he would have a better chance against Eric if he waited until
the end. This way, he would be fresh, and Eric might be worn out. Both times
Eric faced audience challengers, he tied them into painful submission holds
and forced them to tap out in less than one minute in the first round. This,
Eric reasoned, was the best way to discourage any other would be challengers
from giving it a try.

This was yet another reason why Tim hated Eric.

After Eric climbed into the ring, Pete announced the two fighters and called
them to the center of the ring for instructions. Bubba looked down at Eric and
said, "Your time is up, old man. There's a new champ in town."

"Good luck, son," Eric said, without irony. As the bell rang Eric and Bubba
began to circle one another. The strategies employed by the two fighters could
hardly have been more different. So far, Bubba had won all of his fights by
knocking out his opponents with his powerful punches and kicks. Eric used his
strength, agility and wrestling skills to win.

Bubba tried to seize control of the match early by throwing a series of
powerful punches at Eric. Eric was able to dodge and weave his way around
them. When this didn't work, Bubba tried some equally powerful kicks at Eric's
head which Eric was equally adept at avoiding.

Having taken the first two minutes of round one to size Bubba up, Eric made
his move. He quickly crouched down and used his powerful right leg to sweep
Bubba's legs out from under him. The instant that Bubba hit the mat, Eric
pounced. Before Bubba really knew what hit him, Eric had him twisted in knots
and his shoulders pinned to the mat. Bubba could hardly believe it when heard
the referee counting him out. Despite Bubba's size and strength advantages,
Tim's prediction and Eric's self-doubts, Eric was once again the Tough Guy
champion of Pete's Gym.

When the five-count ended, Eric stood up. Pete, who was acting as the referee
for the final bout hoisted Eric's arm into the air and proudly proclaimed,
"The winner and five-time champion of Pete's Gym's Tough Guy Contest: Eric
"Toughest Guy In Town" Stodden! The "Toughest Guy In Town" was something that
Pete just threw in on the spur of the moment. It was a handle that brought a
smile to Eric's face.

"But wait!" Pete shouted to the crowd. "As most of you already know, we have a
little tradition here at Pete's. Eric's name can't be added to the
championship plaque again until he accepts any challengers to his title from
the audience.

Eric knew that it was a little absurd for him to be so proud to be the
champion of the Pete's Gym Tough Guy Contest. Still, he liked the "Toughest
Man In Town" label. He also had his sexy wife's "special prize" to look
forward to later. Just to make sure that Tim didn't get the idea to challenge
him, Eric gave him a fierce glare that would have shattered the nerves of
braver men.

Just as Pete and Eric were satisfied that no one was going to accept the
challenge, a voice called out from the back of the crowd. "He doesn't look so
tough to me; I'll take him on."

The sound of that voice made Eric's blood run cold. He knew that voice. He
recognized the voice of the only regular customer at Pete's Gym that routinely
lifted greater weights than he did. He knew that the voice from the back of
the crowd belonged to someone who was vastly stronger, faster and a better
fighter than he was. "Emma!" he whispered to himself.

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