World's #1 Bull Rider to Take on Bones in the Sooner State!!!

By Katharine Sherrer, PBR
Posted Tuesday, February 10, 2009

J.B. Mauney will challenge 2008 World Champion Bull, Bones, in an 8-second showdown in Oklahoma City.

PUEBLO, Colo. (February 9, 2009) - The Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) is bringing stop #9 of the prestigious Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) to Oklahoma City’s Ford Center on February 13-15. Not only will the top 40 bull riders in world show the Sooner State they are they toughest athletes on earth, but a showdown of world-class athletes will take place as well.

Current #1 bull rider in the world J.B. Mauney (Mooresville, N.C.) will take on 2008 World Champion Bull, Bones, owned by Teague Bucking Bulls, LLC. Both are North Carolina natives and this will be the first time the two have matched up on the PBR’s Built Ford Tough Series tour. If Mauney completes the 8-second ride, he will be rewarded with a $20,000 bonus check, compliments of the bull’s owner, Tom Teague. The showdown will air on NBC on Saturday, February 14th at 4:30 P.M. (EST).

The 22-year-old North Carolina native is currently riding about 77 percent of his bulls in 2009. He has already won two events this season---New York City’s Built Ford Tough Invitational and Winston-Salem, N.C.’s Copenhagen Bull Riding Invitational presented by Pike Electric. Mauney was PBR’s 2006 Rookie of the Year and is PBR’s youngest millionaire---he hit that mark when he was 21 years old at the 2008 World Finals after winning four of seven rounds.

The PBR is the premiere bull riding organization in the world, boasting contestants from the United States, Mexico, Australia, Brazil, and Canada. Its events air weekly on VERSUS, NBC, and FOX, and in recent years, it has been tagged the ‘fastest growing sport in the country. For more information, be sure to check www.pbrnow.com for upcoming cities, ticket information, and complete broadcast times.

About the PBR:
More than 100 million viewers tune in each year to the PBR on FOX, NBC, ESPN, VERSUS, and on a host of foreign networks across the globe. With approximately 500 hours of prime time programming annually, PBR ranks among the most prolific sports on air, in addition to attracting over 1.7 million live event attendees each year with it multi-tiered event structure which includes the prestigious Built Ford Tough Series, the Copenhagen Bull Riding Challenger Tour, the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tour, and the Discovery Tour, designed specifically for entry level contestants. The PBR is headquartered in Pueblo, Colo., with additional offices in Australia, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico. The PBR prides itself in its 1,000 plus stock contractor relationships and over 1,200 PBR bull riders competing in more than 300 PBR sanctioned competitions in five countries.