Tuesday, August 17, 2010

El Juli, Number One Ranking Bullfighter This Season

A few weeks ago (click here) I wrote a few words about seeing the young matador El Juli (Julián López Escobar) in Juarez in 1999, and I've been trying with only limited success this summer to follow (through the news media) the career of Michelito, the twelve-year-old novice in Mexico. He has had several bad afternoons and there is some question whether he can learn to stay out of trouble quickly enough to make it as a serious matador. I'm betting that he can.

I looked up the escalafon taurino (the bullfighter rankings) this morning and discovered that El Juli is finishing up the 2010 season Number one again for the first time in years. He was severely gored in the thigh in 2005 and other matadors (Miguel Angel Perera, Morante de la Puebla, El Cid, Jose Manzanares, Sebastian Castella, Juan Bautista) have been able to compete with him for top honors ever since.

I have embedded a Youtube video of El Juli when he was 18 in 2001, and if you want to see how he has evolved as a bullfighter you can see a video of him just a few days ago in Gijon, Spain on August 12 by clicking here and scrolling down to the first video.

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