Friday, December 12, 2025, 00:39
His story in boxing can summarize that of many who dedicate themselves to this sport. Their names still appear in the fine print of the evenings that are organized, but both practice a discipline that makes them happy, “and in life you have to look for happiness. Titles with perseverance and discipline come on their own,” highlights Rikar Urrutia.
At 28 years old, the Mungia boxer is the present of Biscayan boxing. Erlantz Tejada, 22, from Bilbao, is the future. Both attended EL CORREO yesterday on the eve of the event that will be held on the 20th at the Bilbao Arena with the fight between Sandor Martín and the Ukrainian Yanis Kurylenko as the star moment.
Urrutia was drawn to all the martial arts and fighting alternatives since he was little. He practiced kickboxing and boxing “because that way he had more activity and fought more, but he could do the second modality to become professional.” Boxing is something that has given him “a lot in life in all aspects.” Before the pandemic he had his first professional fight. Then came the break, “which bothered us all, but I remained motivated with training.”
He defines himself as a “noble and ambitious” fighter in the ring, and takes each fight “as if it were a title.” So far he has fought thirteen fights, of which he has won eleven. A couple of years ago he competed in the Spanish Super Lightweight Championship (less than 63.5 kilos) at the WiZink Center in Madrid against Samuel Molina. «It was a very close fight that was decided on points. Two judges gave the fight to him and one to me. Afterwards I have continued to increase the number of victories,” he points out.
This time he will have as his rival the Dominican living in Spain Daniel Guerrero. «He is a very good boxer. It will be a nice war. I’m going with a lot of ambition and desire. “I’m going to win,” he highlights. These fights motivate him a lot. He is a high-level rival who has faced good opponents, has experience, “and will make me get the best out of me.”
He is delighted that they have scheduled him for an evening in which he will also be able to see the territory’s youth team, which has more and more members. “That raises the level,” he emphasizes. His experience tells him that the number of fans is also increasing because “the misconception of boxing that was had before has been banished and now they are getting closer.” He considers evenings like the one organized in the Biscayan capital “important” because it gives visibility to this sport” and he is “delighted” to be active because it is what he needs “to overcome challenges.” The next one is getting closer. Mungia’s boxer does not think beyond this fight because it is something that is not in his power. Your promoter is in charge of bringing you the agenda.
turning point
Erlantz Tejada (Bilbao, 2003) started at the age of 14 at the Elite Sport gym in Bolueta, which has now moved to Etxebarri, where he continues training and teaches boxing classes. «Five months after starting training I realized that this went further, that it was a lifestyle and that I liked what I felt in the ring. It is an experience that I would recommend to anyone,” he points out. He fights at Welterweight (67 kilos). He got hooked on this sport because of the Mike Tyson fights he watched with his father. He decided to try. “I think it suits my character and my discipline, and I fell in love with boxing.”
Inside the ring he is a “worker.” «I have a very good fighting rhythm and I am very constant and intelligent. “I adapt to any rival.” He has successfully completed the three fights he has fought so far. He debuted in Ordizia and won in the first round by knockout. His second confrontation was in Lezama and he knocked down his rival in the third, and in the last one, held in Ormaiztegi just a month ago, he won on points. Raúl D’Alessandro will be his next opponent. «He is a fairly technical boy who moves well. “He likes hand-to-hand combat like I do and I think it’s going to be a fight that people are going to really like and that we’re all going to enjoy,” he highlights. Two-time champion of Euskadi, his short-term goal would be the Spanish Championship, but first he wants to make himself known at home, in Bilbao, “which could be a turning point for my career.”
