FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Portland, Maine (December 10, 2019) – New England Fights (NEF) will hold its next mixed-martial-arts (MMA) event, “NEF 42: Symphony of Destruction,” on Saturday, February 8, 2020 at Merrill Auditorium in Portland. Earlier today, NEF announced the addition of a professional catchweight fight to the card. Nate “Backpack” Boucher will make his professional debut against “Sleepy” Norman Fox (0-1) at a fight weight of 130-pounds.
2019 was a banner year for Boucher. He finished his amateur career with a stellar 6-3 record and captured NEF’s amateur flyweight title at “NEF 41” last month in what would be his final amateur fight. Boucher has won his last four fights in a row – all by first round rear-naked choke submission. Shortly after his title victory, Boucher engaged in a heated exchange on Facebook with Fox who challenged Boucher to enter the pro ranks to fight him. Boucher was quick to accept the challenge. He currently represents Central Maine Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (CMBJJ) of Lewiston, Maine.
“I closed out 2019 by doing exactly what I said I was going to do,” stated Boucher. “I went 3-0 and won the New England Fights Amateur Flyweight Title. I planned on taking time off to focus on my unborn child’s arrival. However, Norman had quite a mouthful to say and asked for the fight. So, I did what fighters do and took the fight immediately. Norman is in for a long night on February 8th. I hope for his sake that he fully prepares for this. The way I see it, I was given a gift to kick off my pro career. Thank you to Cure Cannabis and the rest of my loyal sponsors and supporters for helping me get to this point in my career—I look forward to the next level with all of you.”
Norman Fox returns to the NEF cage after a four year hiatus from competition. He was last seen at “NEF 21” in February 2016 in a losing effort in his professional debut. Fox went 4-2 as an amateur, finishing his opponents in all four of his wins. Fox is currently a member of First Class MMA based in Brunswick, Maine.
“Nate is one-dimensional,” declared Fox. “All he can do is wrestle. If he doesn’t immediately shoot for a takedown, he will as soon as my hands touch his face. I’m dangerous everywhere. If he does get the fight to the ground, he will regret it.”
The catchweight bout joins an already star-studded lineup on the professional portion of the card. Previously announced for “NEF 42” is a five-round professional lightweight title fight between former NEF champion and World Series of Fighting veteran Bruce “Pretty Boy” Boyington (17-11) and WEC and UFC veteran Josh “The Fluke” Grispi (14-5). Another lightweight fight announced for “NEF 42” will feature two Maine fan-favorites as reigning NEF Professional Featherweight Champion Josh “Hook On” Harvey (7-0-1) puts his undefeated record on the line against Jesse “The Viking” Erickson (9-8) in a non-title encounter. And Bellator veteran Dominic “Domnation” Jones (2-3) and Carl Langston (0-4) will square off in a professional featherweight contest.
New England Fights’ next mixed-martial-arts event, “NEF 42: Symphony of Destruction,” will take place on Saturday, February 8, 2020 at Merrill Auditorium in Portland, Maine. Tickets are on sale now at www.PortTix.com.