LAS VEGAS – There have been a number of memorable boxing matches inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena since the venue first opened in 1993.
Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson.
Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
De La Hoya vs. Manny Pacquiao
Mayweather vs. Canelo Alvarez.
This weekend, a different heavyweight battle in a ring featuring several tons of dirt took center stage at the MGM Grand Garden, which hosted the inaugural PBR World Finals in 1994.
2021 World Champion contenders Kaique Pacheco and Jose Vitor Leme once again flip-flopped positions atop the world standings as Leme’s 2-for-3, fourth-place finish helped him overtake Pacheco for the world No. 1 ranking this weekend at the PBR Las Vegas Invitational.
“I did what I came to do: get points and jump to the No. 1 position again,” Leme said. “It is exactly like a prized boxing match because, in the bull riding, we never know who is going to win these events. Maybe this weekend I am perfect, and next weekend I buck off all the bulls, and Kaique rides all the bulls, and he wins. We don’t know what will happen, and it is very hard to continue to ride all the bulls because the level of the bulls here is very high. We’re just trying to ride all, but it is not easy.”
Leme leads Pacheco, who went 1-for-3 to tie for 11th place, by a slim 18.5 points heading into the Unleash The Beast summer break.
The 2021 PBR World Finals are less than five months away. The premier series will resume on July 26-27 with Last Cowboy Standing at Cheyenne Frontier Days.
This weekend was the first PBR event open to the public in Las Vegas since the 2019 PBR World Finals.
Leme had a chance to win his fourth event of the season in the championship round before High Brow Cat bucked him off in 3.41 seconds.
“Well, he surprised me today because he normally turns left, and today he turned right,” Leme said. “But sometimes this happens—my mistake. I need to be ready for all the bulls. It is not his fault. This is my fault. This will happen. I hope this only happens sometimes. I will practice this summer to fix my faults and my wrongs and try to come back stronger after the break.”
The buckoff was Leme’s only mistake after he began the event with an 86.5-point ride on Cha Ching to end the bull’s buckoff streak (16 on the premier series and 27 overall) in Round 1 and an 85.5-point ride on Outlaw in Round 2.
RELATED: Leme ends Cha Ching’s buckoff streak in Round 1
Leme will not have to wait long to brush up on his game as he is slated to compete next weekend at Chad Berger’s Dakota Community Bank & Trust PBR Bull Riding Challenge Touring Pro Division event in Bismarck, North Dakota.
Leme is then entered in the Slick Rock Challenge TPD event on June 25-26 in Rocksprings, Texas.
Meanwhile, Pacheco will spend the six-week UTB break home in Brazil, which he leaves for on Sunday morning, to spend time with his girlfriend and family. Pacheco plans on getting on practice bulls and staying in prime condition for the second-half run.
Leme and Pacheco are not alone in the world title race. No. 4 Dener Barbosa is only 323.17 points behind Leme following his 3-for-3 victory this weekend. In fact, the Top 5 riders in the world are separated by 343.5 points.
Top 5 Riders in the World
1. Jose Vitor Leme (1,050.5)
2. Kaique Pacheco (-18.5 points)
3. Cooper Davis (-204.5 points)
4. Dener Barbosa (-323.17 points)
5. Joao Ricardo Vieira (-343.5 points)
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media