A 9 year old Mexican boy Rafita Mirabal already has had about two dozen fights in bullrings since 2005, including his latest challenge on Sunday in Texcoco, just east of Mexico City.

His contests differ slightly from a regular bullfight - the animals are younger and somewhat smaller, and he does not give the matador's final death blow with his sword. The ban on swordplay isn't to protect Rafita, but rather the sport's reputation.

Rafita isn't strong enough yet to drive a full sword into a bull's heart, and as a result, "he might just wound the animals, and then they would repeat the thing about (the sport) being a massacre," his manager, Jose San Martin told The Associated Press, referring to bullfighting protests by animal rights activists.

San Martin expects Rafita to be killing bulls by the time he's 11 or 12. Most bullfighters start when they're 15 or older, he noted.

Rafita, who also expresses an interest in computers, says his ambition "is to continue being a bullfighter, come what may." His father, Rafael Mirabal Martinez, is a fight fan. He sends his son into the ring without any qualms because "this has always been his passion," he said.