An old cotton trailer served as the ring and they only had two pairs of worn out boxing gloves between them. The old men would gather around and reward the winners with pocket change. It was in this ring, or cage, if you will, that Anthony began to develop a reputation as a ferocious fighter. It wasn’t long before no one would fight him and Anthony began to think about fighting for real.

After graduating from Lexington High School in 1978, Anthony began to box in local tournaments. Though slow by boxing standards, he was a crowd favorite by always fighting so hard. After compiling a record of 12 wins and 1 loss, Anthony was introduced to the martial arts by a friend, David Rhodes. David was studying a form of Karate called Wado Ryu. Anthony had recently married his longtime girlfriend, Rhonda Duke, and she didn’t mind him studying Karate instead of boxing. It was love at first kick. Anthony’s athletic ability was apparent as he quickly learned this new and exciting art. He especially enjoyed his sparring sessions with professional kickboxer, Ronny Tiller. Even though Ronny was a full blown heavyweight and Anthony only weighed around 145 pounds, he still looked forward to fighting him at every opportunity. In a 2003 interview, Anthony described those early sparring sessions as “how to take an ass whippin’ and how to avoid one”. Tiller would retire after just two fights, but Anthony would go on to attain much loftier heights.

Much to the displeasure of his traditionalist trainers, Anthony found that by combining his old boxing skills with his new found kicking ability, he could easily beat most fighters he faced. He had grown tired of competing in “point style” tournaments and wanted to test himself in real fights. He had also begun to notice Joe Corley’s newly formed Professional Karate Association, particularly their Middleweight Champion, Bill “Superfoot” Wallace.

In 1982, he left his Karate school and began fighting in amateur kickboxing fights. After a slow start, in which he lost three of his first four fights, Anthony would go on to win 45 fights with just 5 losses.

In 1983, Anthony turned pro and quickly won his first three fights before facing Nicaro Caballis for the S.K.A. Super Middleweight belt. In an incredible war, Anthony stopped the highly regarded champion and put the martial arts world on notice that he had arrived. Promoters had begun to notice the intense popularity of this young knock out artist and wanted him to fight on their main events. Though never boastful or flamboyant, he thrilled audiences with his relentless aggression. The south adopted him as one of their on and the knockouts mounted.

In 1985, Anthony chose to fight his one time hero, Bill Wallace, instead of the number one S.K.A. contender. Though the event received tremendous publicity, the fight itself was rather one-sided. Anthony showed Wallace far too much respect and fought uncharacteristically timid throughout. Bleeding profusely from the nose and cuts over both eyes, Anthony was spared further abuse when referee Buddy Colburn stopped the contest after the third round. X-rays would later show that Anthony had suffered a broken jaw and three ribs.

Devastated by the beating he took from Wallace, Anthony unofficially retired from the ring and began to spend more time with creating music. At a song writing workshop in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Anthony caught the attention of long time Allman Brothers producer, Johnny Sandlin. Sandlin produced Anthony’s first single “Keep Your Heart in the Country” and the b-side “Ball and Chain”. Often called the “father of southern rock”, Sandlin left his mark on Anthony’s music by capturing the swampy, southern blues that Anthony loved so much.

Encouraged by the considerable airplay his first single received, Anthony returned to the studio with guitar wizard Wes Henley at the controls. Wes had already made a name for himself playing for rockabilly legend, Carl Perkins, and seemed to bring a harder edge to Anthony’s music. Despite several local hits from the first album, Anthony missed the excitement of the fight game and soon returned to the ring.

Anthony would go on to win seventeen professional kickboxing fights, with no losses (the Wallace fight was technically an exhibition) before officially retiring. He worked as personal security for several celebrities and became actively involved in fight promotions.  His popularity seemed to even grow after leaving the ring, as he used his past exposure to champion several charities.  He served as the celebrity spokesman for the Carl Perkins Center for Child Abuse, as well as, The Kiwanis Center for Child Development, appearing in several well received televised public service announcements.     

Still, Anthony grew restless in retirement and longed to return to the ring.  After receiving encouragement from long time UFC official, Jeff Mullen, Anthony returned to the ring on January 13, 2007 against young, Jason Dupree, of New Orleans.  The bout was for the HOFC Light Heavyweight championship, the one title that had eluded Anthony throughout his career.

The event was a sell-out, with thousands of fans coming to see if Anthony could muster another thrilling performance.  He delivered.  After being hurt badly by the hard punching Dupree, Anthony landed a series of devastating kicks to the head of the younger fighter.  Dupree collapsed and needed almost ten minutes to be escorted from the ring.  Pandemonium broke out among the ecstatic crowd as the Light Heavyweight belt was strapped around Anthony’s waist.  With both eyes almost swollen shut, Anthony told his fans that it was over, thus ending his long and amazing career.

The fight itself was indeed an incredible success, breaking all attendance records for the HOFC.  One sports writer dubbed the fight as “the most brutal minute ever fought” and the name stuck.  At the age of 47, Anthony was one of the oldest men to ever capture a title in any combative sport and the fight remains a true all-time great sports upset.

After his final retirement, Anthony devoted his time to advance the sport of mixed martial arts, serving as the ISKA Tennessee State Director.  In 2009, he was honored by Cory Schafer, ISKA President, for his contribution to the growth and development of MMA.  He still resides with his family in his beloved “hills of Tennessee”.