Former WBA Champion Jorge 'Locomotora' Castro Dies at 59 in Argentina

Former WBA middleweight champion Jorge "Locomotora" Castro died early Wednesday at age 59 after collapsing at a bingo hall in Morón, Buenos Aires province. He suffered severe chest pain around midnight while accompanied by streaming partner Jonathan Di Primio, according to Infobae. Emergency responders performed CPR on site but were unable to revive him. A police report cited a drop in insulin related to his diabetes as a factor.

Castro's daughter, Quimey, told reporters her father had complained of chest pain before the collapse and was not taking medication. She said he had been in good spirits recently, working on a community center project and running soup kitchens in Lomas de Zamora. His wake is scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Pache funeral home in Morón.

“Everyone calls it the Rocky movie, but that was fiction — they painted Rocky's eye; I really got beaten to a pulp.”

Born August 18, 1967, in Caleta Olivia, Santa Cruz, Castro compiled a 144-fight professional career. He won the vacant WBA middleweight title by defeating Reggie Johnson in Buenos Aires on August 12, 1994. His most famous victory came on December 10, 1994, in Monterrey, Mexico, when he knocked out John David Jackson in the ninth round after trailing badly in the fight. The comeback is widely regarded as one of the greatest knockouts in boxing history.

The case has been assigned to Morón's UFI No. 8, which will investigate the exact cause of death. Castro had recently appeared on the program "Otro día perdido," where he recalled the Jackson fight, saying: "Everyone calls it the Rocky movie, but that was fiction — they painted Rocky's eye; I really got beaten to a pulp."