HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – Imagine, you are the manager of Juan Manuel Marquez, he had a historic draw against Manny Pacquiao, you are offered a rematch by Top Rank to fight Manny Pacquiao.
You do not like the money, tell Senior arum, no gracias, Erik Morales steps in, and the rest is history.
To make matters worse, Marquez then travels to the Indonesia and suffers a defeat against Chris John, for less money than he would have made in the Pacquiao rematch.
As you know, this is the exact same scenario Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain, trainer and manager to Marquez, navigated and as you have read, the American boxing media has had a field day with his decisions.
This afternoon, during the Marquez v. Marco Antonio Barrera press conference, Juan Manuel took the time to share his thoughts on Nacho.
“I read all the negative reports and I am glad you are asking about this,” said Juan Manuel, “Nacho is the best trainer in the world and manager.”
Jaime Qui?tana, co-promoter of Juan Manuel, along with Golden Boy Promotions, agrees with Marquez.
“He is one of the best, he has been in boxing for so long, he knows how to do things. A lot of people, who do not know about the old-school of boxing, have negative things to say. But trust me, Nacho knows how to handle a fighter’s career,” said Qui?tana
“In every decision,” said Marquez, “Nacho communicates with me and discusses the situation. I cannot emphasize what a great manager and trainer he has been to me. Just because you turn down money, or a fighter loses, does not mean that you are a bad trainer.”
But what about the rematch with Pacquiao? Their heated twelve round draw is a thing of legend, with the images of Marquez getting knocked down three times in round one, only to battle the Filipino over the remainder of the fight.
“I want a rematch,” said Marquez, “that draw is like a small thron in the paw of a lion. I want to remove the thorn, but first I need to focus all my energies on Barrera.”
