The catch happened when circumstances foreshadowed the positive confirmation of a full afternoon for a bullfighter who had arrived in Las Ventas without any contract and determined to turn his opportunity into a launch for his career. It all happened at the start of the sixth bull’s slaughter, after Cristian Pérez, 30 years old, born in the Albacete town of Hellín, a matador since April 2, 2023, toasted the public and enraged the crowd with a first round with his right hand, emotional and heartbreaking, to a violent, rough, rough and dangerous bull, like the entire bullfight of Dolores Aguirre.
The bullfighter was preparing to call for the second round when the bull came at him, ran over him, lifted him off the ground, trampled him and shook him again on two more occasions until the man’s body was left helpless in the sand, a hustle and bustle of crews around him, the bull a few centimeters away, a frantic capping and the hearts of all the spectators until they managed to lift him up and take him to the infirmary. At the time, nothing was known, but the square was shocked by the drama of the tremendous somersault. The medical report fortunately does not include the spectacular nature of the mishap which, at first glance, seemed much more than what was finally appreciated in the infirmary. A colleague said in the room: “We have witnessed a miracle…”.
This was the end of a bullfight starring some unstoppable bulls, another unmitigated failure of a bullfighting iron, bulls for another bullfighting, that of heroism, that of fear, that of tension, that of intelligence at the service of the protection of life, a palpitating journey along the edge of a sharp knife.
Dolores Aguirre’s run has not served from start to finish. They have been bulls to demonstrate commitment and courage, and end as soon as possible with a successful machete in the face before any of those animals seize the bullfighter and send him to the clouds, as happened.
Bulls as correct as they were unequal in presentation, that did not allow themselves to be hit, running and fleeing throughout the ring, which they fulfilled on the horses, yes, some of them really pushed, but there was no brave bull fight. They all rejected each other in one way or another; Even the one in third place, who came three times long to the horse and really pushed, fled in the second and went to the shelter of the boards until he met the pikeman who was guarding the door.
Bulls, all of them, very complicated in the final third, without a route, rough, violent, outcast, rough, dangerous…
Perhaps the fifth, who more than fulfilled two blows and fled in the third, was the only one who allowed himself to be bullfighted in the muleta thanks to the commendable decision of Isaac Fonseca, a paragon of committed courage, who materially risked his life in a thorough, very exciting, heroic fight that did not culminate in supreme luck. The animal charged violently, but he always found himself with the shoes screwed to the sand of a bullfighter ready to triumph despite the enormous difficulty of his undertaking. In this way, he achieved the truest and most emotional round of right blows of the entire celebration, four long muletazos that lifted the audience from their seats. But he failed with the sword repeatedly and everything was blurred.
Before, he had received his first, crutch in hand, with a pass exchanged behind his back in the center of the ring. He really tried, but it wasn’t possible.
Cristian Pérez was very interested in the bull of his confirmation, shameless with pythons, who fled from the capes, walked around the ring several times in search of the pasture, discomposed like his brothers, with whom the bullfighter fought as if his life depended on it.
Pérez has not fought at all in 2025 and his career is very short in celebrations, but he has shown that his lack of experience is overcome by an extraordinary disposition, with improper knowledge and only a consequence of his excessive desire to get out of the current darkness. He endured the unbearable, stole meritorious right hands and drew three natural shots of great depth. He gave a well-deserved turn to the ring, and hence he came out in the sixth wanting to take on the world. But he didn’t want to count on his opponent, who was about to eat him.
The oldest, Antonio Ferrera, has plenty of experience and nothing to prove at this point in his life. Since the bulls were of no use, he preferred to cut things short and until next time.
By the way, it was a windy, very windy, and freezing afternoon, which invited us to warm up on the stretcher table instead of wearing the light suit to literally risk our lives against impossible bulls.
Aguirre/Ferrera, Fonseca, Pérez
Bulls of Dolores Aguirrecorrect presentation and uneven prints; Compliant in horses with a tendency to flee, very unbred, short-travel, rough, rough, dangerous and out of balance lunges. The third galloped to the horse three times and pushed hard, although he fled on the second. With the exception of those fighting in second and sixth places, everyone received three punches.
Antonio Ferrera: deep jab, half tilt, jab and low thrust _warning_ and a madness (silence); puncture, almost entirely low and tilted and two crazy things (silence); low point in which he killed replacing Cristian Pérez (silence).
Isaac Fonseca: perpendicular thrust and lower _warning_ a haircut and the bull lies down (silence); two punctures, lunge fall _warning_ four crazy things _second warning_ (claps).
Cristian Perezwhich confirmed the alternative: _notice_ fall lunge (return to the ring); caught during muleta work. Medical report: Multiple contusions with running stitches on the anterior and posterior aspects of the thorax and abdomen. Wound on the inside of the right leg with an upward trajectory of 20 cm. Serious prognosis.
Las Ventas bullring. March 29. Half plaza (10,729 spectators, according to the company). Windy and very cold afternoon.