User:Malbadi/Urtain

José Manuel Ibar Azpiazu — also known as Urtain — (Aizarnazabal, Gipuzkoa, 14th May 1943 - Madrid, 21st July 1992) was a Basque boxer, who became the european heavyweight champion.

Biografy
Born in Aizarnazabal, he was nicknamed Urtain as it was the name of the house were he spent his childhood in Zestoa. When we has young he started practising Basque rural sports, known as Herri Kirolak, specially aizkolaritza (wood-chopping) and harri jasotzea (stone lifting) but he became famous as a boxer.

He started boxing in Ordizia in 1968 and we won 27 fights in a row by knock-out. In 1970, he became the european heavyweight champion in Madrid after wining againts the german Peter in the seventh round.

He then lost his crown on the 10th November 1970 in the Wembley stadium in London against the british Henry Cooper. That was his second ever defeat, but was left with a he had one of the bittersweet moments of his career, as even if we has defeated, he showed to be a skilled boxer. He recovered the title against Jack Bodell but he lost it again in 1972 against Jurgen Blin.

He tried to recover the title again in Anberes against Jean Pierre Coopman but he could not defeat the belgian boxer and that was his last battle, even if we appeared a few more times as a wrestling catcherra, with the "Tiger of Zestoa" nickname.

Urtain became very famous and made many interviews for TV, radio and press. But when he retired, he did not have much success in business, and 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 other 4 were declared as null.