Renowned matador featured in South Point’s bloodless bullfights

By Rob Miech

Friday, Sept. 11, 2009 | 2:05 a.m.

Eulalio “El Zotoluco” Lopez will flirt with half a ton of trouble twice Monday afternoon in the bullring at the South Point Arena when a rare bullfight is staged in Las Vegas.

The famous matador is a national hero in Mexico, and he said what gives him an edge, what keeps his senses sharp, is sweating and having a degree of doubt when he enters the ring.

“It’s dangerous,” he said. “That scares you. You do get afraid. It is scary. The bulls are strong. I do still feel the butterflies. But that’s my place. I feel alive in that arena. That’s my life.

“Everything is bullfighting.”

Monday will bring an extra element of danger for Zotoluco, since the South Point will be playing host to “bloodless” bullfighting.

Instead of swords, spears or barb-tipped sticks, Monday’s three matadors will try to strategically place Velcro-tipped sticks on Velcro pads on the back of the bulls. Their horns will be blunted, but dangerous, nonetheless.

Clark County animal welfare officials will be on the premises to ensure the safety of the bulls.

The only blood being spilled Monday will come from the three men wearing the traje de luces, or the colorful sequined suit of lights.

Thursday afternoon, from his home in Mexico City, Zotoluco said through interpreter Jorge Lozano that all of his senses and skills will be put to the ultimate test at the South Point.

“It’s more of a vicious thing for me,” Zotoluco said. “I will have to use all of my resources to dominate the bull. It will be a lot harder for me, a lot more challenging. I will need more strength and valor to handle and maintain the bull.”

The son of a former tortilla factory owner will make $600,000 for battling two bulls Monday. Alejandro Amaya and Julio Benitez are also on the card.

It is the first of six scheduled days of bloodless South Point bullfights that have been arranged to celebrate Mexican Independence Day festivities.

Zotoluco, 41, arrives in Las Vegas on Saturday and he will fly back to Mexico City after Monday’s event for a big fight Wednesday.

The spring of 1965 is believed to be the only other occasion when a bullfight, also of the bloodless variety, was held in Las Vegas, at the convention center.

Zotoluco has been to Las Vegas, where he said he’s lost a good amount of money gambling. But he’ll stay out of the casinos on this trip. It’s all about business.

“I am looking to be triumphant, and I hope everything goes well for sponsors and owners of the event,” he said. “And I hope that the public really understands and learns about the bullfights and the culture. It’s an historical event for Las Vegas.”

Uncles and cousins were banderilleros and picadores, so Zotoluco gravitated toward the ring. He started practicing at 13 and fought for the first time, as a novillero against smaller bulls, at 15.

His first fight as a matador came on July 20, 1986, in Buenaventura, Mexico. Zotoluco has battled nearly 1,000 bulls, and his career has taken him to the Romanesque rings in France and Spain.

“The motherland of bullfighting,” Zotoluco said of Spain.

He has fought the legendary Miura bulls in Pamplona, outside of whose ring stands a huge statue of bullish writer Ernest Hemingway. Yes, Zotoluco has read several Hemingway novels, including “Death in the Afternoon.”

Peligroso, Zotoluco said from Mexico City about the unpredictable Miura bulls.

“A very dangerous bull,” he said. “Not only is it larger in size, but its bone size is different and its horns are longer. It’s a very dangerous bull to get into the ring with.”

He has caught horns in his body five times, the most serious of which came in 1995 in Aguascalientes, Mexico, where he was gored in his stomach.

“It was the most difficult one to recuperate from,” Zotoluco said. “Being horned hurts a lot. Actually, for the matador, it’s a medal. It’s an honor, to make it through all the rings (with so few injuries).”

His favorite ring is the Plaza de toros Mexico in Mexico City. With a capacity of 48,000, it is the largest bullfighting ring in the world.

“The people are very into the bulls,” Zotoluco said. “They understand the bullfights and are sensitive to what is going on. They know the surroundings of the ring. It’s where I feel most comfortable.”

He disagrees that the bloodless version of the bullfighting, popularized in Portugal and practiced in France and California, has helped resuscitate the controversial sport.

Several cities in Spain have banned bullfighting.

“There’s always a question that bullfighting is going down and people are losing interest,” Zotoluco said. “But nowadays, there are more bullfighters coming out and there are more bull breeders than ever.

“In Spain, it’s as strong as ever. In South America and Mexico, it’s still very strong. There’s still a lot of passion for bullfighting. We’re still bringing back the art.”

His biggest thrill is hearing crowds shower him with “Torero! Torero!” chants after a performance. “It’s one of the maximum things you can have as a reward,” he said.

Zotoluco hears plenty from his many fans outside the ring, too.

“In restaurants and airports, they recognize you as ‘The Matador,’ ” he said. “That’s touching. They recognize you, even though you are out of the suit. They know who you are. It’s a big honor.”

He has 11- and 6-year-old sons, and he doesn’t want them to follow his career path.

“But if they did,” Zotoluco said, “I’d support them totally.”