He has fought 56 bulls, sliced off 106 of their ears, and his
face and body bear the scars that are testimony to his many years
in the bullring.
The statistics would be impressive for any veteran matador but
Michelito, the star performer in the bullring in Lima, Peru, is
only ten years old.
Michelito, whose full name is Michael Lagravere Peniche, is forced
to ply his grisly trade in Mexico and other Latin American
countries because he is still too young to perform in Spain, where
the minimum age for matadors is 16.
Michelito battles with a one-year-old bull in the ring at Lima,
where the young matador is a superstar
Michelito first began bull-fighting when he was just five years
old.
"Ever since I was young, lots of bullfighters visited my house and
I went with my dad to the fights," he said.
"That's how I developed a taste for bullfighting."
At the weekend, Michelito defeated four bulls at Lima's bullring,
considered the oldest in the Americas.
"When I'm facing a bull, I don't think about anything else. I'm
focused on what I have to do," he explained.
His remarkable feats at such a young age have reignited the debate
over the use of child matadors in the ring.
Last year, a 14-year-old matador called Jairo was almost killed in
the ring when a bull's horn pierced his lung and passed just inches
from his heart.
The practice is unlikely to come to an end anytime soon, however.
Child matadors can rake in substantial fees for their feats – money
which usually ends up in their parents' pockets.
Jairo was reportedly paid £3,600 per bull for his fights in Mexico
and was said to have earned £146,000 a year, according to a Spanish
newspaper.
His mother, Diana Peniche Marenco, said he preferred capes and
swords as a toddler to toys.
"As a mother, of course I'm concerned. But this is what he wants to
do," said Peniche, who manages a bullfighting ring.
Promoters see child matadors as a lucrative way of bringing in more
spectators and tourists to the region.
Source: Daily Mail UK, Mar. 7, 2008