Francisco Rivera

Francisco Rivera Pérez, better known as Paquirri (Zahara de los Atunes, municipality of Barbate, Cádiz, March 5, 1948-Córdoba, September 26, 1984), was a Spanish bullfighter. He died from a goring received from the bull called Avispado in the Pozoblanco bullring. During his career he left Las Ventas through the front door six times.

Biography

He was the son of the bullfighter Antonio Rivera Alvarado (Barbate, February 17, 1920 - Cádiz, November 10, 2009), who was in charge of the municipal slaughterhouse of Barbate, where Paquirri and his brother, the also matador José Rivera "Riverita," they began to fight. He grew up close to bullfighting environments. He received influences from Rafael Ortega & # 34; El Gallo & # 34;, and from Miguelín. His mother was Agustina Pérez Núñez (Tarifa, 1922-1977).

Debut and first bullfight

He debuted on August 16, 1962 as a bullfighter in Barbate with the Núñez Polavieja cattle ranch. On June 28, 1964 he debuted in a bullfight with horses in the bullring of Cádiz. He alternated with José González Copano and Rafael Jiménez Márquez, in a bullfight with cattle from the Marquis of Villamarta's herd. In Seville on May 1, 1966, he cut off three ears in a bullfight in which he was accompanied by Pepe Luis Segura and Manolo Sanlúcar.

Alternative in Barcelona

He took the alternative as a bullfighter in the Plaza Monumental in Barcelona on July 17, 1966, with Antonio Bienvenida acting as godfather and Andrés Vázquez as a witness in front of Juan Pedro Domecq's bulls. The alternative was not consummated when the right-hander was seriously caught in the right thigh. The expected alternative came on August 11 of that same year and in the same arena, when Paco Camino gave him his crutch and sword before the eyes of Santiago Martín. “The Viti”. On this occasion, the horned ones carried the iron of Carlos Urquijo de Federico.

On May 18, 1967, he confirmed the alternative in Las Ventas, with Paco Camino being his godfather, in the presence of José Fuentes against Juan Pedro Domecq's bulls. In 1969 he left through the front door of Las Ventas on two occasions, and repeated in 1974, 1979 and 1980, with six exits through the main gate of Las Ventas in total. In 1970 he confirmed his alternative at the Monumental de México with Raúl Contreras "Finito" as his godfather and Manolo Martínez as a witness, leaving through the front door. In 1978 he suffered a serious bullfight in La Maestranza during the April Fair before a bull owned by José Luis Osborne.

Death in Pozoblanco

In 1984 he had decided to end the season after bullfighting in the Dax bullring, but he agreed to fight two more bullfights, Logroño and Pozoblanco. On September 26, 1984, in the Pozoblanco bullring (Córdoba), sharing the bill with Yiyo and El Soro, was caught by a bull, fourth in the bullfight, from the Sayalero and Bandrés ranch, named Avispado, which resulted in a goring with two trajectories that They ruptured the iliac and saphenous veins, and the femoral artery. A video, recorded by cameraman Antonio Salmoral, recorded the incident and scenes of the bullfighter speaking in the infirmary. Paquirri, still conscious, and with remarkable calm given the circumstances, explained to Dr. Eliseo Morán the size and trajectory of the wound:

«Doctor, I want to talk to you or I'm not going to stay calm. The goring is strong. It has at least two trajectories, one here and one there. Open everything you need to open, the rest is in your hands. And calm down, doctor.

The bullfighter could not be well cared for due to the limitations of the infirmary and, without being able to contain his bleeding, Dr. Eliseo Morán gave him an emergency treatment and, given the extreme seriousness of the bullfighter, ordered his immediate transfer to the Reina Hospital. Sofia of Córdoba. Doctors Ruiz and Fumes accompanied the injured man in the ambulance. Near Córdoba he suffered a cardiac arrest and in a desperate attempt to save his life they decided to admit him to the Military Hospital because it was closer, where he died. In the judicial proceedings it is stated that Paquirri died from intense hypovolemic shock due to massive and rapid hemorrhage. Two days later thousands of people said goodbye to him in the Plaza de la Maestranza in Seville. He was buried in the San Fernando Cemetery.

Although according to the doctor who treated him, the goring was not fatal, the bullfighter's death was due to a fatal combination of circumstances: the health services available in the bullring were very limited, he was transported in a conventional ambulance and the road that linked both towns was in poor condition. The significance that his death had in the press contributed to changing the legislation on bullfighting events, forcing the places of all categories to have mobile Intensive Surveillance Units, and for the places of 1st and 2nd categories to have operating rooms. conveniently equipped.

It has bullfighting statues in front of the bullring of Puerto de Santamaría making a change to porta gayola and Pozoblanco.

Personal life

He married on February 16, 1973 with Carmen Ordóñez, daughter of the bullfighter Antonio Ordóñez, in the Basilica of San Francisco el Grande in Madrid. As a result of this marriage, two children were born, both bullfighters, Francisco Rivera Paquirri and Cayetano Rivera. Paquirri and Carmen separated in 1979.

After the separation he also had a relationship with Bárbara Rey and then with the singer Lolita Flores.

On April 30, 1983, he married again, this time with the singer Isabel Pantoja, in the Basilica of Jesús del Gran Poder in Seville in an event that was described as the wedding of the year. From this marriage he had Francisco José Rivera Pantoja.