THE SHOWDOWN : WORLD CHAMP VS WORLD LEGEND

In a major coup for Australian surfing, Breaka Flavored Milk has announced that reigning World Champion Mick Fanning will headline February’s Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 4-Star, US$85,000 Breaka Burleigh Surf Pro.

In equally exciting news, 1999 World Champion Mark “Occy” Occhilupo has announced he will be coming out of retirement and returning to the professional arena for the Breaka Burleigh Surf Pro. Occhilupo’s entry into the event marks a comeback for the legendary goofy-footer (right foot forward stance) who officially retired from the sport in 2007.

The showdown between the two Australian World Champions has an interesting twist, with the pair claiming respective world titles exactly 10 years apart – Fanning (2007 and 2009) while Occy secured his fairytale win in 1999.

Occhilupo and Fanning will be joined by a host of other current and former World Championship Tour competitors including current Pipeline Master Taj Burrow, former Hawaiian Triple Crown winner Bede Durbidge as well as Owen Wright, Dean Morrison, Jay Thompson, Nathan Hedge and Darren O’Rafferty just to name a few.

The February Breaka Burleigh Surf Pro will be the first standalone professional surfing event to be staged at the iconic point-break in almost 10 years and places the competition window in Queensland’s prime swell period, with the possibility of scoring an infamous Burleigh Barrel a hard prospect to refuse for the world’s best surfers.

World Tour Competitors

1. Taj Burrow
2. Ben Dunn
3. Bede Durbidge
4. Michael Fanning
5. Jeremy Flores
6. Dean Morrison
7. Kai Otton
8. Dan Ross
9. Tom Whitaker
10. Adrian Buchan
11. Tiago Pires
12. Luke Stedman
13. Luke Munro
14. Kieren Perrow
15. Roy Powers
16. Jay Thompson
17. Blake Thornton
18. Owen Wright

Former World Tour Competitors
1. Nathan Hedge
2. Dayyan Neve
3. Darren O’Rafferty
4. Russell Winter
5. Mark Occhilupo
6. Phil MacDonald
7. Nathan Webster

Surfers wishing to compete in the event can still enter via www.aspaustralasia.com

Stay tuned to Surftotal.com for news and updates relating to the Breaka Burleigh Surf Pro.

The Breaka Burleigh Surf Pro will commence on February 17 and conclude on February 21, 2010.

Current World Champion: Mick Fanning