Free-D

Boxing and bullfighting have managed to crawl their way into our
consciousness as something eminently noble because of their inherent
savagery… they represent the perfect sports for lost romantics. A
commentator compared the Nadal-Federer clash at Wimbledon to Ali’s
Rumble in the Jungle. No disrespect to the Lawn Tennis Association but
strawberries and cream and Federer’s grass-stained shorts hardly compare
to Ali on the ropes mocking Foreman with “Is that all you got, George?”.
Nah, it won’t wash…
While top flight boxing has evolved into the exclusive preserve of the
rich and segregated on pay per view, at least San Fermines remains
relatively modest: a cheap flight and the ground to sleep on, and free
live broadcast on national TV, at 8am. Of course, you could probably get
the same kick going to the encierro at Fuentesauco but as I said,
Hemingway’s got a lot to answer for.  If you had happened to be in
Fuentesauco for the encierro last week, you would have seen the
bullfighting equivalent of the old boxer fighting one fight too many…
Poor old José Ortega Cano. It was a tragedy to befit Shakespeare, For
those of you aren’t aficionados either of the arena or the prensa rosa,
José was a top flight bullfighter in the 80’s and 90’s and is also the
late husband of the undisputed heavyweight of copla and flamenco, Rocio
Jurado. Incidentally, Jurado was also married previously to Spain’s
greatest ever boxer, Pedro Carrasco, so Hemingway would have been truly
proud of her. Unfortunately the great Rocio died herself last year after
a typically spirited bout against cancer. Well, fast forward a year
later to Fuentesauco and we see the bullfighter back in black, albeit
not quite up to his normal standard. That’s an understatement. The poor
chap took a knock to the knee and walked off to the infirmary never to
return. You might have said that he was still suffering the bereavement
and we should just let him bow out gracefully. But this is Hemingway
country and no place for womanly emotions like grief. Accoridng to the
press, the man should be lynched.