Marquez trainer picks Pacquiao over Mayweather

By: Mark Giongco - 9 years ago

Mexican champion Juan Manuel Marquez (left) trains with his long-time cornerman Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain behind him. Beristain thinks Manny Pacquiao will beat Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 2. AP

MANILA, Philippines — The brain behind Manny Pacquiao’s most stunning defeat thinks the Filipino icon will dash Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s perfect record on May 2.

Legendary Mexican trainer Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain, who is a long-time cornerman of a very familiar Pacquiao foe in Juan Manuel Marquez, believes Pacquiao will be too much for Mayweather to handle.

“Pacquiao will definitely win. Pacquiao is just too tough and too strong. Pressure and a lot of punches just beats Floyd up,” Beristain told Mark Malinowski of ringobserver.com.

“It’s a very good, important fight but that fight should not happen. Because I believe Pacquiao will beat Mayweather. You’re gonna take away the glory that has made Mayweather these past years. Mayweather’s style when he fights someone that pressures him and throws a lot of punches – he just beats [Floyd] up,” the 72-year-old Bersitain added.

Beristain also said it won’t be an “easy” fight but insisted that Pacquiao “will definitely win.”

If there’s one opposing trainer who knows Pacquiao well, it’s Beristain. Marquez and Pacquiao fought four times with the Mexican star winning with a one-punch knockout in their last encounter in 2012. Beristain was also in the corner of the great Oscar dela Hoya, who took a beating from Pacquiao in 2008.

And now, the man at the opposite corner of Pacquiao is ironically on his side against Mayweather.

“I know very well Pacquiao,” said Beristain, who also devised a plan to beat Mayweather when Marquez fought him in 2009 but came up short. “I’ve seen him fight many times. He’s very good. And everybody picks Mayweather to win the fight because he wins so much against easy fighters, but Pacquiao is just too tough, too strong.”

”He (Pacquiao) just works too hard. His training is too hard. He works very hard.”