Former world champion boxer Jorge ‘Locomotora’ Castro dies at 59 after suffering heart attack

A former boxing world champion has tragically passed away at the age of 59.

Jorge ‘Locomotora’ Castro, an Argentine great who won 130 of his 144 fights across a 20-year career, died on Wednesday, October 14, after suffering a heart attack at a bingo hall. 

Castro’s daughter, Quimely, confirmed the cause of death and gave a heartbreaking account of his final moments in an interview with the Argentine media. 

‘My dad’s passing was natural,’ she said. ‘He had a heart attack. His chest started to hurt, and he couldn’t take it.

‘It was just a matter of 15 minutes, nothing more. The Scientific Police already took care of proving it was totally natural.

‘He was with me and my mom. We had a routine outing with my mom. They’re very close friends; they haven’t been a couple for 15 years, but they’re very close friends. It was an outing the three of us did.’

Revealing what happened, Quimely added: ‘We were fine, and suddenly he told me, “I’m going to the bathroom”.

‘He went to the bathroom, and when he came back he said, “My chest hurts a little.” I told him, “That’s because you smoke like a savage.” He told me, “It hurts a lot, daughter”.

‘That’s when we called the authorities at the place, and it was like that, so fast, just like I’m telling it.

‘They took him to a separate room, started doing CPR on him privately, and that was it.’

Castro, who turned professional in 1987, was a ruthless boxer, with 89 of his 130 victories coming via knockout. 

He became WBA middleweight champion seven years after his professional debut following a split-decision victory over Reggie Johnson.