When: Feb. 24, 2002
Where: Grand Rapids
(World Kick-Boxing Championship)

What happened: After only four pro bouts, Clements was matched above his weight class against a former world champion and lost by a TKO after being knocked down three times. He fell into a coma and died three days later.

ERIC CROW, 23

When: Dec. 13, 1995
Where: Kansas City, Kan.

What happened: The pipe-fitter’s apprentice died after being kept alive on a respirator. Crow, who had never boxed before, entered hoping to win money for Christmas gifts. He won his first match Dec. 8 and was cleared by a chiropractor, who was acting as ringside doctor, to fight the next day. He lost that bout against a man who had fought in several previous Toughman contests, and within minutes began showing signs of brain damage. Surgeons removed a blood clot, but he slipped into a coma and never recovered.

DOUGLAS DEDGE, 31

When: March 16, 1998
Where: Kiev, Ukraine (“Boi Bez Pravil” — Battle Without Rules)

What happened: Dedge, a father of five who operated a martial-arts academy, was matched against a local wrestler, and within a minute, was face-down on the canvas. His opponent trampled him and punched him in the nape of the neck 14 times. He died two days later of severe brain damage.

BOBBY TROY DePUE, 26

When: June 11, 1994
Where: Lafayette, La.

What happened: DePue left the ring after having breathing problems. He died several hours after the bout. An autopsy revealed he died of heart disease.

ZINIOUS HAYNES, 38

When: April 9, 1995
Where: Fayetteville, N.C.

What happened: The rural carpenter fought in a Toughman bout on a Saturday night, and at 5 a.m. Sunday, awoke his mother to tell her his head hurt. An ambulance rushed him to a hospital, where he died three three hours later from a blood clot.

MICHAEL KUHN, 26

When: Sept. 20, 2002
Where: College Station, Texas

What happened: A father of two, Kuhn died after blood vessels that connected his brain and skull were severed during a Toughman bout five days earlier.

ART LIGGINS, 44

When: Sept. 15, 2002
Where: Meridian, Idaho

What happened: After an 18-year layoff from competitive boxing, Liggins, a father of five who once fought in the Olympic trials, attempted a comeback in a Toughman bout. He was knocked out in the first round and suffered fatal head injuries.

KENNY MEYLAN, 41

When: Jan. 31, 1981
Where: Lansing

What happened: A farmer from Saginaw with six children, Meylan fought once Friday and three times Saturday before he said he was “awfully tired” and collapsed. He suffered brain damage that left him a paraplegic. He died in 1998.

RON MILLER, 23

When: March 22, 1981
Where: Johnstown, Pa.

What happened: Unemployed and desperate for the $500 prize money, the 5-foot-7 former Marine fought in three Toughman bouts in two nights, even though he was dizzy and seeing double since the first match. Knocked down several times in his final bout, he was rushed to a hospital and died the next morning of brain trauma.

ROBERT ROLLINS, 33

When: July 11, 1987
Where: Montgomery, Ala.
(Bad Man Contest)

What happened: A state capitol police officer fighting in his first full-contact contest, suffered a fatal heart attack after winning. He had been taking medication for high blood pressure for several months. Rollins, who stood over 6 feet tall and weighed about 280 pounds, said after the fight that he was dizzy and unable to see.

RICKY SANDERS, 27

When: March 1992

Where: Scottsboro, Ala. (Bad Man Contest)

What happened: Knocked down several times, Sanders died a few days later of cranial cerebral trauma, according to a coroner.

SCOTT WOOD, 31

When: Jan. 24, 2003
Where: Soaring Eagle Casino, Mt. Pleasant

What happened: Wood, a former Marine who had competed in other Toughman bouts, complained he was not feeling well about 10 minutes after the Jan. 4 fight. A doctor sent Wood to a hospital in Saginaw, where he died. The medical examiner listed homicide as the cause of death.

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