Two ears cut in Pamplona's Miura bullfight amid debate over merit

The penultimate corrida of the San Fermín festival on July 13 featured bulls from the legendary Miura ranch, weighing an average of 620 kilograms. The event yielded two ears—awarded to Manuel Escribano and Jesús Enrique Colombo—but sparked sharp disagreement over their justification.

The bulls and performances

The Miura bulls were described as "muy manejable" (very manageable) by Infobae Source: Infobae, lacking the expected ferocity. El Mundo noted they were "trasteable, pidiendo méritos a los toreros" Source: El Mundo. Only the sixth bull, "Merecido," showed some quality, but Colombo's performance was deemed "insufrible" Source: El Mundo. Pepe Moral's performance was forgettable, with poor sword work Source: El Mundo.

Controversy over the ears

Manuel Escribano cut an ear from his first bull after a professional performance including a portagayola and effective sword thrust Source: El Mundo. However, Infobae described the ear as "baratísimo" (very cheap), citing a vulgar faena and low estocada Source: Infobae. abc.es, in contrast, praised Escribano's commitment and considered the denied second ear unjust Source: abc.es. Jesús Enrique Colombo's ear from the third bull was criticized for a "feo bajonazo" and superficial work Source: Infobae. El Mundo called his overall act "insufrible" and noted he wasted the sixth bull Source: El Mundo. These divergent accounts reflect a deep divide in perceptions of value and merit in this corrida.