Custom Search

September 23, 2014

BOYINGTON VS. ERICKSON REMATCH ANNOUNCED AS HEADLINER FOR NEF XV NOVEMBER 15TH

[NEF Press Release]

 Lewiston, Maine (September 23, 2014) –New England Fights (NEF), America's number-one regional fight promotion, today announced plans for its fifteenth mixed martial arts (MMA) event, entitled “NEF XV,” set to take place on November 15, 2014 at the historic Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine.  Additionally, NEF today announced the main event for the show, a Lightweight Championship title rematch between the current champion, Bruce “Pretty Boy” Boyington (8-7), and Jesse “The Viking” Erickson (3-3).

“The crowd during the first Boyington-Erickson title match was one of the loudest audiences I’ve ever heard,” said NEF co-owner and promoter Nick DiSalvo when reached for comment. “Immediately following the fight, Erickson was asking for a rematch because he felt the bout was stopped early. Bruce, being the true champion he is, immediately accepted the offer. Both fighters are coming into the bout with something to prove. Erickson wants to prove a premature stoppage in the first bout and Bruce wants to clarify that the first fight wasn’t a fluke and that the stoppage saved Erickson from getting inevitably KO’d. I cannot wait for the rematch.”


Boyington and Erickson first faced one another for the Lightweight Championship on September 6, 2014 at “NEF XIV” in a fight that was billed as a “Civil War” between Bangor, where Boyington trains out of Young’s MMA, and Auburn, where Erickson resides and trains at Central Maine Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (CMBJJ), a Team New England United affiliate school. The showdown lived up to the hype when the two took to the cage. The first round saw Erickson, a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu purple belt, attempting to finish multiple submissions and Boyington, a black belt in Taekwondo, powering out of several dangerous positions. At the start of the second round, the-soon-to-be champion came out strong and wobbled Erickson early with precision striking. For the next two minutes, Boyington stalked Erickson around the cage and landed strikes at will before referee Kevin MacDonald called a stop to the action. Erickson immediately protested the stoppage and took to Facebook soon after to call on Boyington for a rematch. Boyington accepted the challenge and now two of Maine’s most popular fighters will square off again to leave no question as to who is the most supreme combat sports athlete.

“I was asked politely by both Jesse Erickson and the first class promotion, NEF, to do a rematch in November,” stated Boyington when reached for comment. “In light of my history with [John] Raio, I feel a deep obligation to show everyone what the right thing to do is. So, with that in mind, I'm looking to come into this fight ready to finish what I started in the last one. Jesse says he had more to give and I feel the same thing myself. I was just getting started. So, if you liked the last one, be sure to stand by for some fireworks here.”

“I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to once again fight for the NEF Lightweight Title,” stated Erickson when reached for comment. “Thanks to the champion, Bruce, for accepting the bout. I look forward to putting on another exciting fight. After the stoppage [in the first fight], the first thing I said to Bruce was ‘I'm sorry they stopped it and I hope we can do it again someday.’ Well, that day is coming, it’s November 15th, and I'm the one with something to prove. I look forward to another great battle.”

“The excitement in the first Boyington-Erickon bout exceeded my wildest expectations,” stated NEF co-owner and matchmaker Matt Peterson. “Both guys know how to put on electrifying performances and I have no doubt that they will deliver again when they reconnect inside the NEF cage. Boyington has won five out of his last seven bouts. At 35 years old, he’s a renewed fighter in the zone of a revitalized career. Erickson’s compelled to capture a championship. The talent and passion that collides when these two compete against each other magnifies the best of Maine combat sports. As a fan of both athletes, I’m delighted that we get to witness the second installment of what will no doubt always remain a fiery rivalry.”

"NEF XV" takes place on November 15, 2014 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine. "NEF BOXING" takes place on October 11, 2014, also at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee. Tickets for both events start at just $25 and are on sale now at www.TheColisee.com or by calling the Colisee box office at 207.783.2009 x 525. For more information on the events and fight card updates, please visit the promotion’s website at www.NewEnglandFights.com. In addition, you can watch NEF fight videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow the promotion on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”