The best athletes in the business bring their show to Atlanta

By Ted Harbin
Posted Wednesday, November 18, 2009

ATLANTA – Something very special is happening this weekend at the Gwinnett Center.

In conjunction with the Copenhagen Bull Riding Challenger Tour Championship presented by Dickies, the best athletes in the sport will vie for their own title during the Professional Bullfighters Daisy Protection Bullfight World Championships presented by Mann Creek Buck-N-Bulls.

What it all means is the best protection competition bullfighters in the business will vie for the most coveted honor in their sport when they step onto the arena at the Gwinnett Center and engage nearly a ton of bucking beast time and again over the three days of competition that begins at 8 p.m. Friday, 7:50 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.

“These guys are the elite, the best protection competition bullfighters in the world, hands down,” said Jim McLain, president of the PBF. “The PBR has set a performance standard in bringing only the top athletes to their fans, and that includes the best protection bullfighters in the business. The PBR is raising the bar again hosting the Daisy Protection Bullfight World Championships, and the PBF's top athletes are excited to compete for the world title in front of the great fans here in Atlanta during the PBR's Challenger Tour Championship.”

Reigning world champions Dusty Tuckness of Meeteetse, Wyo., and Andy Burelle of Ardmore, Okla., will defend their title against four teams, represented by some of the greatest athletes in the sport. As members of Team Mann Creek Buck-N-Bulls, they hope to pull off the unprecedented back-to-back World Championship. But they’ll have to match skills with the likes of Team Timber Ridge Belgians, Toby Inman of Davis Junction, Ill., and Dave Jantzi of Sugarcreek, Ohio, who won half the go-rounds at the 2008 World Championships.

These dedicated athletes, who make their living protecting fallen bull riders, carry those skills over into the competitive arena. Not only will they serve as a life insurance policy for the best bull riders in the world throughout the Copenhagen Bull Riding Challenger Tour Championship, they will also compete for world champion points while facing foes capable of ending a career or a life. The athletes in the championship field earned their tickets to Atlanta through the grueling PBF Daisy Protection Bullfight Tour's 2009 season.

At each stop, they put it all on the line protecting bull riders to qualify in one of the top 5 positions of the Daisy Protection World Championships. The PBF World Championships is a perfect fit for the heart-stopping action that is synonymous with the Professional Bull Riders levels of competition, including its premier tour, the Built Ford Tough Series.

“The bullfighters in the PBF have proven themselves over the course of the year to be the best protection competition bullfighters in the business,” McLain said. “You haven’t seen anything until you see how aggressive, how hands-on these finalists are. There’s a reason they’re competing for a world championship.”

You don’t get to be the best until you fight against the best. And you can guarantee the fans at the Gwinnett Center will witness a world championship bullfight that will be unrivaled in action as the best will be bringing their “A” game to the Atlanta.ABOUT THE PROFESSIONAL BULLFIGHTERS INC.: Conceived by a handful of visionary bullfighters with the goal to grow the sport of bullfighting through education, competition and sound marketing strategy, the Professional Bullfighters Inc. is the premier bullfighters organization in the United States. With the growth of Professional Bull Riding into mainstream sports, a competition for protection bullfighters was not only imminent in coming it is demanded as a process to bring the elite bullfighting athletes to the forefront of the industry while setting standards to maintain quality control within the sport.

For more on PBF, visit pbftour.com, twitter.com/pbftour or facebook.com/pbftour