Photo by Kim North Travis “The Terror” Clark, left, and Branden “The Iron Lion” Hinkle will fight March 4 as part of the 37th annual Toughman Contest inside WesBanco Arena.

WHEELING — Finally!

After what seems like decades of haggling back-and-forth, the self-proclaimed “Fight of the Century” in the Ohio Valley will take place Saturday, March 4 as part of the 37th annual Toughman Contest inside WesBanco Arena.

Travis “The Terror” Clark and Branden “The Iron Lion” Hinkle have been paired together for years as the “fight everyone wanted to see.”

That time has come.

“I’ve been working on this fight for three years,” Jerry Thomas, of W.Va. Sports Promotions, said Wednesday night via telephone from his office in Clarksburg. “We have been on-and-off and real close a couple of times, but something always happened to prevent it.

“However, this time it is official. Actually, this time it came together quite quickly. The contracts have already been signed. Everything is ready to go.”

The fight is scheduled for eight, three-minute rounds and will be for Clark’s W.Va. State Heavyweight championship belt. It will be his third title defense.

“There’s been a lot of talk and a lot of anticipation,” the 37-year-old Clark (11-0) said of the fight. “It’s finally going to happen, and it’s a good thing.”

The 43-year-old Hinkle (7-2) had the same thoughts.

“It’s finally happening. It’s been a long time coming. I’m excited for the fight and I’m excited for the fans,” he said. “It’s probably the most anticipated fight ever in the Ohio Valley. I think it’s going to be a great fight.”

Both competitors are former successful wrestlers — Clark in high school and Hinkle in college — and both have participated in Mixed Martial Arts, with Hinkle competing in the UFC (17-11) and Clark in Bellator and NAAFS (7-3).

Hinkle, who was a two-time NCAA Div. II wrestling champion at West Liberty and a U.S. National Freestyle Wrestling All-American, has been fighting for 20 years. After going 12-6-1, he signed with the UFC.

“I started out fighting bare knuckles in Brazil in 1998,” he recalled. “This will be my third time fighting in Wheeling. I won an MMA title here in 2001 and I boxed here two years ago. It’s (my career) has kind of come full circle.”

Clark, meanwhile, was an Ohio Division III 160-pound state mat champ in 1998 while representing Union Local High School. He has held several MMA and boxing titles during his career. He is a former Ohio Valley Toughman champion, which jump-started his ring career.

“I respect Hinkle,” Clark said. “I grew up watching what he does. It’s an honor to finally get to fight someone that I respect and looked up to, but with that being said, I’m still going to keep my belt by knockout.

“I don’t doubt that he’s going to come hard because he’s an absolute beast. Anybody that says different doesn’t know anything about it. The guy is a great person for the community. A great person for the wrestling community, and an absolute good fighter and good guy.”

Hinkle, who said he would tip the scales around 230 pounds, echoed those sentiments.

“I respect him. He’s a tough fighter. He’s a good wrestler and a helps the kids and all, but I’m coming to win. I coming at him with bad intentions.”

Clark, who most likely check in at 225-230, last fought on Oct. 19 when he posted a unanimous decision over Thad Berkhousen, of Michigan, in a non-title fight at the Wheeling Island Racetrack, Casino and Hotel Ballroom.

“My last time out was one of my better fights,” Clark said. “I just want to keep building from one fight to the next. I’m ready to take care of business. I’ve been training harder than ever. I actually turned down a couple of fights because of this one. If if (the fight) was today, I’d be ready.”

Hinkle has lost his last two bouts. He was TKO’d in 1:26 of the first round on Oct. 20, 2016, at the Mayflowers Inaugural Ballroom in Washington, D.C., by “prospect” Mike Balogun (9-0). Prior to that, he was knocked out in 2:15 of the fourth round by Kevin Franklin (7-11) at the Serbian American Cultural Center in Weirton on July 27, 2015.