Jose Manuel Urtain

José Manuel Ibar Azpiazu (also known as Urtain; 14 May 1943 – 21 July 1992) was a Spanish boxer, who became the EBU heavyweight champion in 1970 and 1971.[1]

José Manuel Ibar Azpiazu
Urtain
Born(1943-05-14)14 May 1943
Aizarnazabal, Spain
Died21 July 1992(1992-07-21) (aged 49)
Madrid, Spain
Spouses
  • Cecilia Urbieta
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1963; div. 1975)​
  • Maria Luisa García
    ​
    (m. 1975)​

Biography

Born in Aizarnazabal, he was nicknamed Urtain as it was the name of the house were he spent his childhood in Zestoa. When he was young he started practising Basque rural sports, known as Herri Kirolak, specially aizkolaritza (wood-chopping) and harri-jasotze (stone lifting) before becoming a professional boxer.[2]

He started boxing in Ordizia in 1968 and he won 27 fights in a row by knock-out. In 1970, he became the EBU heavyweight champion in Madrid after defeating the German Peter Weiland in the seventh round.[3]

He then lost his crown on 10 November 1970 at Wembley stadium in London against Britain's Henry Cooper.[4] The next year in 1971 he recovered the European EBU champion crown against Jack Bodell,[5] but lost it again in 1972 against Jurgen Blin.[6]

He tried to recover the title again in 1977 in Antwerp against Jean Pierre Coopman but he could not defeat the Belgian boxer.[7]

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.[2]

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
  1. "BoxRec: Jose Manuel Urtain". BoxRec. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  2. Castelao, Eduardo J. (21 July 2017). "25 años del suicidio de Urtain: "Ganó mucho, malgastó todo"" [25 years since Urtain's suicide: "He earned a lot, he wasted it all"]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  3. "Jose Manuel Urtain, EBU Boxing, Rock Lifting Champion, Held Ali Overhead". boxinginsider.com. 2 January 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  4. "Cooper Has Another Go At Title Against Urtain". The New York TImes. 8 November 1970. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  5. "Urtain Dethrones Bodell In Madrid". The New York Times. 18 December 1971. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  6. "Friday Night Fights". The New York Times. 11 June 1972. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  7. "Coopman Stops Urtain For European Ring Crown". The New York Times. 13 March 1977. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
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