José Manuel Ibar Azpiazu (also known as Urtain; 14 May 1943 – 21 July 1992) was a Spanish

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

, who became the EBU heavyweight champion in 1970 and 1971.

Biography

Born in

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, he was nicknamed Urtain as it was the name of the house were he spent his childhood in

Zestoa Zestoa ( es, Cestona) is a town located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country, northern Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg ...

. When he was young he started practising

Basque rural sports Basque rural sports, known as ''Deportes Rurales'' in Spanish or ''Herri Kirolak'' in Basque, is the term used for a number of sports competitions rooted in the traditional lifestyles of the Basque people. The term ''force basque'' is used in Fren ...

, known as ''Herri Kirolak'', specially aizkolaritza (wood-chopping) and harri-jasotze (stone lifting) before becoming a professional boxer. He started boxing in

Ordizia Ordizia, formerly known as Villafranca de Ordizia, is a town and municipality located in the Goierri region of the province of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country, northern Spain. The professional cycle road race Prueba V ...

in 1968 and he won 27 fights in a row by ''

knock-out A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking ...

''. In 1970, he became the EBU heavyweight champion in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

after defeating the German Peter Weiland in the seventh round. He then lost his crown on 10 November 1970 at Wembley stadium in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

against Britain's Henry Cooper. The next year in 1971 he recovered the European EBU champion crown against

Jack Bodell Jack Bodell (11 August 1940 – 9 November 2016) was an English professional boxer, active during the 1960s and 1970s. Born in Swadlincote, Derbyshire, Bodell started out as a light heavyweight, winning the 1961 ABA championships and a bron ...

, but lost it again in 1972 against Jurgen Blin. He tried to recover the title again in 1977 in Antwerp against

Jean Pierre Coopman Jean-Pierre Coopman (born 11 July 1946) is a retired Belgian boxer who is best known for his title fight against Muhammad Ali in 1976 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, which Ali won by KO in round 5. Early life Jean-Pierre Coopman was born on 11 J ...

but he could not defeat the Belgian boxer. After retirement Urtain suffered from alcoholism and debts, resulting in the breakdown of his marriage. He committed suicide by jumping from the 10th floor of his home in Madrid. During his period as a boxer (1968-1977) he took part in 68 fights, of which we won 53 (41 by ''knock-out''), lost 11 and 4 draws.

References

External links

*
European Boxing Union official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Urtain, Jose Manuel Suicides by jumping in Spain 1943 births 1992 deaths Spanish male boxers Heavyweight boxers People from Urola Kosta Sportspeople from Gipuzkoa European Boxing Union champions