Underdog Boxing: Nacho Beristain extended career of Juan Manuel Marquez

Ignacio “Nacho" Beristain looks like a man whose best days are well behind him. His hair is thinning, his hair is sagging, and his movement slow and deliberate (although his ‘stache is still in all of its magnificent glory). People outside the boxing circle would find it easy to dismiss him as a has-been. What they do not know is that this old man is one of the best trainers in boxing history and still one of the top teachers in boxing right now. Back in Mexico, Beristain is referred to as El Rey Midas (King Midas) because people say that all the boxers he trains turn into gold. His reputation has reached a legendary level. It has reached a point where fighters literally beg Beristain to train them because they know that very few people have the boxing know-how that he has. One session with Beristain can do wonders for any fighter. Having him in your corner is an advantage a lot of fighters can only dream of. I was lucky to be a part of the group who handled the World Press Tour for Pacquiao-Marquez 3 and while I looked forward to talking to the visiting champion, I was equally excited to meet the famed trainer. Beristain speaks very little English so all my informal interviews had to go through an interpreter. We talked about a lot of things, some of which I am not allowed to write about but the topic always went back to his favorite student. Juan Manuel Marquez has evolved as fighter and Beristain has much to do about it. Marquez was by and large a counter-puncher early in his career. If you put another technical fighter in front of him, chances are you will watch a pretty boring fight (RE: his fight against Chris John). His battles with Manny Pacquiao were classics because their styles complemented each other. Even with the success Marquez was enjoying, he did not get the respect and adulation that the likes of Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales enjoyed. Everyone agreed that Marquez was good but people weren’t sure if he was great. After his second battle against Pacquiao, Beristain and Marquez worked on making their boxing style more fan friendly. A change of style late in a boxer’s career is very risky. Common sense dictates that it is not possible for a counter-puncher to turn into an effective boxer-puncher late in his career but somehow Marquez and Beristain were able to make it work. The result was a surge in Dinamita’s career including big wins over Juan Diaz, Joel Casamayor, and Michael Katsidis. The change in style also landed him a shot at Floyd Mayweather. By changing Dinamita’s gameplan, Beristain effectively extended the career of Marquez. A counter-punching old guy will not sell a lot of pay-per-views but this new and improved version of Marquez has been wholeheartedly accepted by boxing fans and now some Mexicans are even holding Marquez in higher regard compared to Morales and Barrera. “Juan Manuel is the best fighter I’ve ever worked with and his success along with the success of his brother Rafael is an achievement I’m very proud of," shared Beristain. “Styles make fights and we have the style to give Pacquiao trouble," he added. I asked him about the Mayweather-Marquez fight and how Marquez looked slow and lethargic at welterweight. “Mayweather does not want to fight, all he does is move around the ring Marquez looked bad because of the match-up but he won’t look that way against Pacquiao," Beristain said. Beristain’s reputation is already set. He has already been inducted in the International Boxing Hall of Fame alongside Mike Tyson, Sylvester Stallone, and Julio Caesar Chavez. But if he helps Marquez get a win over Pacquiao, then his legend will grow even more. OMG, GMA News