From the world title ring to the bingo hall: "Locomotora" Castro dies of heart attack at 59

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents From the world title ring to the bingo hall: "Locomotora" Castro dies of heart attack at 59.

Former boxing world champion Jorge "Locomotora" Castro is dead. He died on Wednesday at the age of 59 of a heart attack – right in the middle of a gaming hall in the greater Buenos Aires area. For Argentine boxing, his death is a heavy loss: Castro was one of the most defining fighters of his country in the 1990s, won a world title belt, and delivered one of the most memorable rounds in recent boxing history.

What happened on Wednesday at the Morón bingo hall

Castro was at the Bingo de Morón, west of Buenos Aires, in the slot machine area. There he suddenly developed chest pain and collapsed. His daughter Quimey was at his side and described the dramatic course of events: "Le empezó a doler el pecho y no lo pudo resistir, fue cuestión de 15 minutos. Tuvo un infarto." The staff alerted emergency services, but any help came too late – the arriving paramedics could only confirm his death.

According to the local criminal police, this is a case of natural death. According to initial investigations, Castro suffered from diabetes; a disruption in his insulin levels may have played a role. However, an official cause of death is still pending until the relevant examinations are completed.

A world champion from the Patagonian province

Castro was born in Santa Cruz, in the deep south of Argentina. Over the years, he worked his way through the regional titles – Argentine champion, South American champion, Latin American champion. In August 1994, he reached the summit: with a victory over American Reggie Johnson, he won the World Boxing Association (WBA) belt.

That he truly belonged to the world elite, he proved just a few months later in Mexico. Against Julian Jackson, he was clearly behind on points, had already absorbed numerous hard punches – and knocked out his opponent in the ninth round. The Ring magazine named that fight the "Fight of the Year 1994." Castro lost the WBA title in December 1995 to Japan's Shinji Takehara.

130 wins, a final greeting on Instagram

Castro ended his career in 2007. His record: 130 wins, 90 of them by knockout, with 11 losses – numbers that immortalize him as a true fan favorite. On his Instagram account, there is a post that is being shared over and over in the hours after his death. It sounds like a farewell that was never meant to be one:

"Obtuve todos los títulos habidos, en el deporte de los puños, fui Campeón Argentino, Sudamericano, Latinoamericano, Fib, hasta que toque el cielo con la mano. Fui Campeón del Mundo. Pero el mejor título que obtuve es el cariño de mi pueblo Argentino. Les mando un cariño, se los quiere, 'El Roña'."

"El Roña" – the dirty one – was his second nickname. For many fans, this very nickname embodies what made Castro who he was in and out of the ring: a fighter who never really cared about conventions. In the end, a gap remains in Argentine boxing that will not be filled anytime soon.