MONTREAL - A former world poker champion has broken his silence about the vicious beating he suffered during a home invasion.
Jonathan Duhamel told The Canadian Press that two intruders, one posing as parcel-delivery man, barged into his Montreal-area home on Dec. 21.
A groggy Duhamel, who had just woken up, opened the door to his Boucherville home because he was expecting Christmas presents he'd ordered for his family.
That's when he was blindsided by a second man and the pounding began.
"I've played hockey all my life, so I've had some fights -- but not one like this one," Duhamel said in an interview Friday.
"They took me by surprise. At first I thought he was the only one, but then the second (man) came by my back and I never saw him and he just kicked me in the head."
Duhamel said the men delivered such a beating that he had no choice but to give in to their demands and open his safe. He said the men appeared to be aware of where he kept his money, and Duhamel instantly feared he'd been sold out by someone close to him.
He was forced to hand over a Rolex watch, his championship bracelet from the 2010 World Series of Poker, and a stack of cash from the safe.
Duhamel said the robbers tied his hands behind his back and continued punching and kicking him. He says they also threatened to kill him and his parents.
Duhamel never lost consciousness during the attack but spent part of the day in hospital, being treated for wounds. Days later, he still has a bloodshot eye surrounded by a shiner.
He said he can't understand why the men continued to hit him even after they had taken the loot. After he opened the safe, they resumed pummelling him while his hands were tied behind his back.
Four people have since been charged in the attack, including his ex-girlfriend.
That former girlfriend, Bianca Rojas-Latraverse, actually accompanied Duhamel to Las Vegas to the most recent World Series of Poker, which he did not win.
In other media interviews, Duhamel has described some of the more turbulent moments from their brief relationship, including a pregnancy scare that turned out to be a false alarm.
However, Duhamel tells The Canadian Press that their relationship ended earlier this year on relatively normal terms.
He rocketed to stardom in 2010 when he won US$8.9 million in a poker tournament in Las Vegas, making him the first Canadian to capture the Main Event at the World Series of Poker.
