Lewiston, Maine (December 8, 2015) – New England Fights (NEF), America’s number-one regional fight promotion, will hold its next event, “NEF 21: THE IMMORTALS” on Saturday, February 6, 2016 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine. The fight card is scheduled to feature both mixed-martial-arts (MMA) and professional boxing bouts. Earlier today, NEF announced the main event of the MMA portion of the fight card. Bruce “Pretty Boy” Boyington (12-8) will defend the NEF MMA Professional Lightweight Championship against the challenge of number-one contender Jon Lemke (5-3). Both Boyington and Lemke are veterans of the United States Marine Corps (USMC).
Boyington is riding high on a three-fight win streak. Earlier this fall, he made his debut on the national stage, defeating Rodrigo Almeida (13-3) on a World Series of Fighting (WSOF) card in Connecticut. Boyington followed up that win with a decisive third-round TKO victory over Jimmy Davidson (7-2) last month at “NEF XX” in a successful defense of his title. A product of Young’s MMA, and the head of Boyington’s Taekwondo Academy, both located in Bangor, Maine, Boyington has been on an unstoppable tear since losing a non-title fight to Jamie Harrison (6-1) early in 2015. He has won six of his last seven in the MMA cage, and holds another victory in the NEF boxing ring during the course of that run.
“I wouldn’t want to be Jon Lemke going into that cage with me right about now, that’s what I’m thinking, if I’m being honest,” said Boyington. “I don’t really understand why he would want a fight with me right now, and I do believe he will show up and give his best effort, but I wouldn’t want to fight me right now. I’m dangerous, and my confidence is through the roof and when it’s like this, it is going to take a world-class athlete to stop me, and my focus this whole camp will be on remaining humble and focused. When February 6th comes, I will be the most dangerous Bruce Boyington that has ever stepped foot in the cage, and I know if I want to be in there right now, I’m really going to be hungry by then.”
The bout is one that Maine fight fans have waited a long time to see. Boyington and Lemke have stood atop the NEF lightweight division together for several years now, their careers paralleling one another. With Lemke competing out of Marcus Davis’ Team Irish in nearby Brewer, Maine, the cross-town rival of Young’s MMA, Boyington and Lemke seemed like natural rivals. But they often passed like ships in the night, and the stars never aligned for an encounter between the two. That was until “NEF XX” last month when, just moments before Boyington took to the cage against Davidson, Lemke vanquished Matt Denning (2-1) in that evening’s co-main event. It was an impressive performance that saw Lemke overwhelm a game Denning as the first round went on. With both Lemke and Boyington scheduled to appear on the February card, and neither having an opponent signed, the time was ripe for the “Battle for Bangor,” as fans have dubbed it, to finally take place.
“I am so incredibly grateful and excited to be fighting for NEF once again and especially an opportunity to fight for the title,” said Lemke. “Those who know my story know what a long road this has been for me, which makes it all the more special. Bruce is the man and has done a phenomenal job promoting himself as champion, and in the process brought a lot of attention to the rest of the MMA community in the area. He has a couple of titles with different promotions and had fights on the national stage. He presents a unique and explosive set of challenges that I very much look forward to rising up and meeting that challenge head on. This is going to be a great fight that fans are not going to want to miss, so get your tickets and come on down.”
“I don’t know if there’s any single fight fans ask us to see more than this one,” exclaimed NEF co-owner and promoter Nick DiSalvo. “It seems like at least a few times a week we’re getting messages asking ‘when are we going to see the Battle for Bangor between Lemke and Boyington?’ Well, it’s happening onFebruary 6 at ‘NEF 21,’ and everyone within our organization is just as excited as the fans to see it!”
“The back story to this bout is incredible,” stated NEF co-owner and matchmaker Matt Peterson. “Nothing is manufactured – it’s completely authentic and gut wrenching. This fight has been a long time coming, and I have a feeling that the lead-in to February 6th will be unlike anything we’ve ever witnessed in the countdown to a showdown of this magnitude where so much more than just bragging rights are on the line.”
New England Fights’ next event, “NEF 21: THE IMMORTALS,” takes placeSaturday, February 6, 2016 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine. Tickets for “NEF 21” start at just $25 and are on sale now at www.TheColisee.com or by calling the Colisée box office at 207.783.2009 x 525. For more information on the event and fight card updates, please visit the promotion’s website at www.NewEnglandFights.com. In addition, you can watch NEF videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”