Auburn Hills - Bodies hit the floor all night long Friday, but in the end it was MSU’s John Lesneski who remained standing with his arm raised in victory.
MSU defeated Michigan 11-9 in the first-ever Toughman Contest fueled by a college rivalry.
The kinesiology senior was the fighter who put MSU over the top by winning all four of his contests, including the championship, at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
“My head hurts really bad, my thumb is a little messed up, but I’m really happy,” Lesneski said.
Lesneski fought four fights in a three-hour time period, explaining his loss for words and desire for aspirin.
Promoter Bernie Jocuns said the event was undoubtedly a success and is definitely a step in a new direction for the Toughman Contest.
“We saw a lot of good fights, and I think it went great,” Jocuns said. “We’re definitely going to do the toughest man of the Big Ten.”
However, Jocuns didn’t discuss details of a Big Ten Toughman contest.
The first 12 bouts Friday night were evenly matched with split decisions, unanimous decisions and the fan-favorite knockout all mixed in. U-M took a 7-5 lead before the teams had to cut down to their four best.
The offensive display picked up in all four quarterfinal fights, with three going to the Spartans.
Agriscience junior Brent Russell and Anthony Giuliano each won by judges’ decision, while Lesneski put an exclamation point on his win with a technical knockout 48 seconds into the first round.
With the Spartans holding a 3-1 edge in remaining fighters, the Toughman representatives decided to split up the final four, putting two fighters on each side.
Jason Ireland and Duane Damon represented U-M, even though Damon was not one of the Wolverines’ original four best. Lesneski and Russell were picked to represent the Spartans, and they did just that.
Lesneski won on a split decision, while Russell won by disqualification when Damon bit him on the arm.
Not only did Damon try taking a chunk out of Russell’s arm, he threw off his gloves after the match and tried to start a real fight.
Damon had to be restrained by security, but still attempted to pick fights with spectators.
“He was out of control and a little psycho,” Toughman official referee Kerry Root said. “When they were in the clinch, he bit the guy’s arm and I saw it, so I kicked him out.”
In the interest of the fans, instead of having the two Spartans duke it out, another Spartan vs. Wolverine matchup was formed.
Lesneski was picked to represent the green corner while Will Hewitt, who hadn’t fought since the first round, stood tall in the yellow corner.
It seemed like the Spartans had their backs against the wall with Lesneski fighting in his fourth bout of the night and Hewitt fighting in his second, but Lesneski proved all the doubters wrong.
Winning by unanimous decision, Lesneski helped the Spartans to win not only the individual match total, but also gave MSU the “tougher school” name tag as chants of “Go Green, Go White” filled the Palace.
