PBR Canada’s Elite Cup Series Returns to London, Ontario for First Time in Four Years on May 31
By: Kacie Albert Wednesday, February 22, 2023 @ 10:00 AM
LONDON, Ont. – For the first time in four years, and third time in tour history, PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Canada’s elite Cup Series, presented by Wrangler, will buck into London, Ontario, holding the PBR London Classic at Budweiser Gardens on May 31.
PBR Canada’s Cup Series regularly features Canada’s best riders alongside some of the league’s top international athletes, squaring off against the rankest bucking bulls from across the nation.
For one night only, fans will witness exhilarating 8-second rides and wrecks throughout the action-packed event as the PBR’s courageous bull-riding athletes face off against their 2,000-pound opponents bred to buck.
The London event will mark the fourth event of the 10-event 2023 season for the PBR Canada Cup Series, presented by Wrangler. Prior to travelling to the Ontario city, the Cup Series will visit three cities across the provinces of Alberta and Manitoba.
When the elite Canadian Cup Series last travelled to London in May 2019, Daylon Swearingen (Piffard, New York) captured his third event win of the season, victorious at PBR London Classic.
The then 19-year-old’s win was highlighted by the top-scored ride in Round 1, bringing the raucous crowd to its feet when he made the 8 aboard Black Sails (Triple R Bull Co.) for 84.5 points. Garnering 450 Canadian points, Swearingen rose to No. 2 in the Canadian national standings.
The win in London was a crucial steppingstone for Swearingen en route to being crowned the 2019 PBR Canada Champion.
While Jared Parsonage (Maple Creek, Saskatchewan) and Dakota Buttar (Kindersley, Saskatchewan) entered the season-culminating PBR Canada National Finals ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation, within a slim 32.49 points of one another, Swearingen completed one of the most riveting come-from-behind surges in history with a dominant performance.
He went a perfect 4-for-4, winning the Canadian Finals and erasing a 689.57-point gap to emerge the 2019 PBR Canada Champion by 450.42 points over runner-up Buttar.
Since winning the 2019 PBR Canada Championship, Swearingen has gone on to excel on the world stage, joining an elite contingent of riders in 2022 when he was crowned the PBR World Champion.
PBR Canada’s return to London comes on the spurs of one of the most intense national title races in the nation’s history. Following a riveting regular season, nine riders traveled to the 2022 PBR Canada National Finals in contention to win the honor and accompanying $50,000 bonus.
Mounting a come-from-behind surge, Nick Tetz (Calgary, Alberta) emerged the 2022 PBR Canada Champion, surpassing regular-season No. 1 Buttar and holding off a hard-charging Brock Radford (De Winton, Alberta) in the final outs of the season.
When the dust settled, Tetz finished 26.5 points ahead of runner-up Radford.
The bull riding action for PBR Canada Cup Series’ London Classic, begins at 7:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 31, 2023.
Tickets for the event go on sale Friday, February 24 at 10:00 a.m. EST, and start at $25, taxes and fees not included, and can be purchased at the Budweiser Gardens Gate #1 Box Office and online at BudweiserGardens.com.
Stay tuned to PBRCanada.com and follow the tour on Facebook (PBR Canada), Twitter (@PBRCanada), and Instagram (@PBRCanada) for the latest event and broadcast schedule, results, news, stats and more.