It?s always interesting when you take a look back at some of your previous work, no matter what field you are involved in. As a boxing writer, I?ve enjoyed a perhaps unconventional but extremely rewarding ride in the sport and hearing the stories that come from the revolving cast of characters in boxing has always fascinated me.
In 2005, writing was a still a bit of a hobby for me and my work was featured on the website BraggingRightsCorner.com. In May of that year, I had the chance to interview Juan Manuel Marquez, then the reigning WBA and IBF featherweight champion of the world, as he prepared for a defense of his belts against Columbia?s Victor Polo on the undercard of the classic first encounter between lightweight champs Jose Luis Castillo and the late Diego ?Chico? Corrales at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
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I first touched on Marquez?s relationship with his trainer, the excellent Iganacio ?Nacho? Beristain.
?Ever since I was little I was with Nacho early into my amateur career,? Marquez revealed. ?My father knew one of Nacho?s assistants and we came to the gym to meet him. I was introduced to him and he?s been my trainer ever since, both amateur and professionally. When you?re in Nacho?s corner you are very confident. He prepares you very well for the fight and he gives that extra edge that you need. Sometimes he will be very quiet and mature when he talks to you and it?s always good to have someone like that in the corner.?
Beristain is regarded as one of Mexico?s finest trainers, having also worked with the likes of Juan?s brother and two-division champion Rafael, long-running super bantamweight champion Daniel Zaragoza, and the excellent Ricardo ?Finito? Lopez. Regarded as one of the finest little men to ever step inside of the ring, Lopez was a champion at 105 and 108 pounds during his day and retired with a pristine 51-0-1 record with 38 knockouts.
Lopez?s precise and deadly style was a pleasure to watch and Marquez was able to implement many of his wrinkles into his own attack while also considering him a true friend.
“Ricardo Lopez was a very great person,? Marquez said with fondness. ?When I used to train I would come to the gym a bit later and he would be training earlier, but I always got to see the last of his training. He talked to me and gave me a lot of advice. He?s just a great person and a lot of techniques I?ve learned from him. He left us the responsibility of training well. Whenever he came to train he was always very happy to be here and he did his job well. He made sure to let everyone know that they needed to put in their work if they wanted to win fights.?
At the time, Juan?s younger brother Rafael was the IBF bantamweight champion of the world, who himself was weeks away from the fifth defense of his title against Ricardo Vargas at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The Marquez brothers have always been extremely close and supportive of one another and Juan revealed just how intertwined he was with Rafael?s life.
?We have a tremendous relationship, not only as brothers but also as boxers,? said Marquez. ?We encourage each other to do our best in the sport and also as brothers. It?s hard for me to watch him fight. I probably get more nervous watching him fight than actually fighting myself. I am very anxious and very nervous whenever he fights.?
Speaking through Top Rank?s Spanish-language publicist Ricardo Jimenez, Marquez spoke of his childhood in Mexico City and how important education was in his early days, even noting that he once has a small career in accounting.
?Education was a big part of my life and so was discipline,? added Marquez, whose nickname is aptly ?Dinamita?.
During his climb up boxing?s ladder, Marquez was overshadowed by fellow Mexican stars Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales but showed no feelings of envy when asked for his opinion of the two men.
?They?re both great champions and they?ve had great careers. I?ve been coming along and I think I?ve worked very hard to get where I am right now. I think there is a strong possibility of getting to where they are at right now. The important thing to me would be fighting one of those two guys. I?m hoping one day to fight either one of them,? said Marquez, who would end up defeating Barrera via unanimous decision in an entertaining fight in March of 2007.
As classy and polite as Marquez came across, there has always been a tenacity about him whenever he is in the ring. The 38-year old is hoping to display those traits in ten days? time when he faces off with rival Manny Pacquiao for the third time, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
And while he seems to be facing an uphill battle with Pacquiao, who will put his WBO welterweight belt on the line, Marquez?s final words during our interview coincide with the legacy that he has left in the sport.
?I love boxing. I enjoy getting ready for a fight and love going into the ring and trading punches with the other guy. Going up against the best fighters out there has kept me motivated. Now that I?m a world champion I have the responsibility to do even better and that?s why I train even harder now. I keep myself in the sport because I love it.?
