Mauney Out for Billings; 15/15 Bucking Battle Remains Stacked
By: Justin Felisko
April 12, 2016
J.B. Mauney will miss his first event of the season this week. Photo: Andy Watson/BullStockMedia.com
PUEBLO, Colo. – Two-time World Champion J.B. Mauney’s body doesn’t recover as fast as it once did now that he’s on his 11th season on the Built Ford Tough Series.
Therefore, the current world leader will miss the Stanley Performance in Action Invitational this weekend in Billings, Montana, after sustaining a left hip pointer (badly bruised pelvis) last weekend in Little Rock, Arkansas.
He expects to return to competition in time for the Des Moines Invitational on April 23-24.
“I am beginning to figure out that this career doesn’t last forever and this stuff starts hurting a lot more,” Mauney said. “I will be back in Des Moines. It don’t feel that bad. It is just certain ways when I turn or move, all them muscles at the top of your hip, it feels like you are getting stabbed by a knife. My leg is all knotted up and I got a big ‘ole knot on my foot. I don’t know where that came from either.”
Mauney injured his hip during Round 2 of the Bad Boy Mowdown when War Party flipped over inside the bucking chute and hit Mauney with his horn.
The Mooresville, North Carolina, cowboy has a 208.01-point lead on No. 2 Fabiano Vieira in the world standings and has won a PBR record three consecutive 15/15 Bucking Battles.
Mauney is 22-for-38 (57.89 percent) with six Top-5 finishes and had yet to miss an event this season.
The defending World Champion also admitted Tuesday morning that his sprained left elbow (riding arm) is also still nowhere near 100 percent since he re-aggravated the chronic injury two weeks ago in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, when Speed Dial jerked him forward inside the bucking chute.
“I woke up yesterday morning and my damn elbow was locked up about 90 degrees and my hip is sore as hell,” Mauney said. “I have been sleeping with a heating pad. I have been doing alright, but just not the best.”
Mauney is looking to make sure he is healthy enough to compete not only in Des Moines, but also at Last Cowboy Standing – the final PBR Major of the first half, which takes place during Las Vegas Helldorado Days May 13-15.
The event is almost one month away and the Last Cowboy Standing champion can earn up to 1,250 points toward the world standings and win over $100,000 dollars.
“That would be nice to win,” Mauney said. “It pays good too.”
Mauney had thought about getting an X-ray this week in North Carolina to see if he has a cracked hip, but he has since decided not to.
“It don’t hurt bad enough,” he said. “Dr. Tandy (Freeman) said he didn’t feel anything. He wasn’t sure if it was cracked or not. We can’t do nothing if it is cracked anyways.”
Lachlan Richardson now replaces Mauney in the 15/15 Bucking Battle and gets the luxury, or maybe the misfortune, of squaring off against 2012 World Champion Bull Asteroid.
Mauney would have drawn Cochise and been looking to extend his PBR record streak of consecutive 15/15 victories to four.
Despite the loss of Mauney, the 15/15 Bucking Battle still features a slew of marquee matchups. Fans can watch the 15/15 Bucking Battle on CBS national television Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
Some must-see matchups include Robson Palermo taking on 2015 World Champion Bull SweetPro’s Long John, Mason Lowe facing Crossfire, Shane Proctor against SweetPro’s Bruiser and Joao Ricardo Vieira trying to finally conquer Stanley FatMax, who ranks fifth in PBR history with 70 BFTS buckoffs.
15/15 Bucking Battle matchups
Lachlan Richardson vs. Asteroid (52-4, BFTS)*
Derek Kolbaba vs. Brutus (10-5, BFTS)
Cooper Davis vs. Wicked (24-6, BFTS)*
Mason Lowe vs. Crossfire (23-1, BFTS)
Robson Palermo vs. SweetPro’s Long John (26-7, BFTS)
Kaique Pacheco vs. Beaver Creek Beau (39-4, BFTS)
Eduardo Aparecido vs. Big Cat (13-0, BFTS)
Mike Lee vs. Seven Dust (10-0, BFTS)
Ryan Dirteater vs. Stone Sober (33-2, BFTS)
Tanner Byrne vs. Machinery Auctioneer’s Little Joe (15-4, BFTS)
Wallace de Oliveira vs. Slinger Jr. (20-1, BFTS)
Shane Proctor vs. SweetPro’s Bruiser (17-5, BFTS)
Joao Ricardo Vieira vs. Stanley FatMax (70-4, BFTS)*
Paulo Lima vs. Little Red Jacket (14-12, BFTS)
Fabiano Vieira vs. Cochise (8-3, BFTS)*
*Rematch
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
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