Frank Evans (bullfighter)

The son of a butcher, Evans had started out with ambitions to be a rugby league professional. A subsequent reading of the autobiography of Vincent Hitchcock, the first professional British bullfighter, persuaded him that it was possible for a Briton to train as a bullfighter. His first ever fight at a village festival was a disaster, with the bull running away with his cape, which had to be rescued by children. (Evans has described the event as "very Benny Hill" following a mix-up by the promoter, who believed he had booked another English fighter called Henry Higgins. Evans returned to Salford. Back in Salford, he began a successful kitchen business. He was also an associate of George Best, at one point being his "unofficial manager". ==Resumption of his career==

The death of his father in 1976 persuaded him that "life is too short" not to pursue one's dreams, and he returned to Spain. By 1979 he was fighting again professionally. Noticing that although Evans was not highly ranked, he was drawing large crowds, the owner of the Benalmádena ring began to give Evans regular bookings. In 2005 he announced his retirement, due to arthritis in his knee from a rugby league injury. ==Retirement and return==

Subsequent to his retirement, Evans received a replacement titanium knee. On a routine health check in 2007 it was discovered that he had blocked arteries and a leaking heart valve. He underwent a quadruple heart bypass. In 2009 he announced his return to bullfighting. His first fight was in Benalmadena, killing two bulls and receiving the ears of the bulls as an award from the judges. and that he plans fights in Ecuador, Columbia and Peru, the three bullfighting countries he has yet to perform in. ==Injuries==

Evans has been gored six times. and a foot-long gash sustained in a fight in Mexico. ==In the media==

In 1988 Evans made an extended appearance on the After Dark topical discussion programme on Channel 4, alongside among others Katie Boyle and Miriam Rothschild. He was the subject of a Channel 4 documentary entitled The Buspass Bullfighter, and has written a well-received autobiography, The Last British Bullfighter. Both his retirement and return were covered extensively in the British media. In 2009 it was reported that threats from animal rights activists had led Waterstones booksellers to abandon booksigning sessions for Evans' autobiography in Liverpool and Manchester. It was also reported that Evans had previously received death threats, and that the post office had intercepted a parcel bomb intended for him. In 2012, Evans was featured in a book, The Bull and The Ban, giving his views on bullfighting regulations and how they could be changed to be less cruel. ==References==