Toughest man in sports?
The argument over who’s toughest in sports is as old as sport itself.
There’s a guy in Oklahoma who ranks near the top.
Watch my latest video commentary or read below:
Start talking about tough guys in sports, and the debate rages.
Who are the toughest of them all?
Some say football players. Others say boxers or ultimate fighters or wrestlers, gymnasts or hockey players or swimmers.
What about tough guys with ties to our fair state?
You could make an argument for someone like former boxing champ Sean O’Grady, punishing running back Adrian Peterson, wrestling legend John Smith or stunt bike rider Mat Hoffman. You could make an argument for lots of tough guys.
But in my estimation, there aren’t many tougher than Justin McBride.
The name may not be familiar to everyone, but in the world of professional bull riding, McBride is a superstar. He has won two of the last three world championships and broken all sorts of records.
He’s broken all sorts of body parts, too.
McBride, who lives on a ranch in Western Oklahoma, rode to his second world title last season with a separated shoulder on his free arm. That meant every time he rode, he was swinging that arm around like a mad man. Talk about painful.
And he took no painkillers, not even an aspirin.
Heck, mention the thought of taking something, and McBride practically growls the answer.
“I didn’t take any Advil.”
How about this litany of injury reports? Concussion with brief loss of consciousness after being stepped on. Dislocated left shoulder. Pinched nerve in neck after landing on his head. All of that happened last season.
Oh, by the way, McBride won the world championship last season.
At only 5-foot-8, 140 pounds, it’s difficult to imagine our fair state has any athlete tougher, pound for pound.
Want to know more about McBride and how he became the world’s best bull rider? Watch for our coverage of this weekend’s Copenhagen Bull Riding Challengers Tour Championship here in Oklahoma City.
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