The
"Urtain" farm was located in the Ibanarrieta neighborhood which belongs
to the Guipuzkoan village of Zestoa, in the Basque Country, in the north of
Spain. There, Jose Ibar and Felisa Aspiazu's 10 children, 4 daughters and 6
sons, were brought up. The head of the family, Jose Ibar was well known for
his great physical strength. He often took part in Basque rural sport competitions,
mainly "harri-jasotze" (stone-lifting) and "idi probak"
(stone-dragging with oxen)..
Jose's
sons inherited his renowned physical strength and followed their father's footsteps
by taking up Basque rural sports too. Later on, two of them reached fame in
other sports. Jose Manuel Ibar, the second child of the family and eldest among
the males took up boxing. He was known as "Urtain", using the same
name of the farm where he was born. His first fight as a professional boxer
was at the age of 25 on June 25, 1968 and he later became champion of Europe
in 1970.
One
year younger than "Urtain" was his brother Candido who stood out for
his ability to play"Jai-Alai". The same year "Urtain" made
his first appearance as a professional boxer, his brother Candido emigrated
to the United States to try his luck as a Pelota player. Candido arrived in
Dania, Florida, USA on December 2, 1968. He became a very successful professional
player in the Basque game of Jai-Alai playing in the Dania Jai-Alai Palace for
22 years. During this time, depending on the season, he alternated between the
Dania court and several other courts in Florida and Connecticut.
A
few years after Candido arrived in Florida he married Cristina Casas, of Cuban
origin, on March 14, 1971. The couple had two children, Pablo, who was born
on April 1, 1972 and Michael on December 16, 1976.