Arum: Nacho could screw up de la Hoya's training
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 10/22/2008 10:41 PM
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Top Rank honco Bob Arum said legendary trainer Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain could only screw up Oscar de la Hoya’s training for his December 6 “Dream Match” with Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao.
While Arum conceded that Beristain is a superb boxing coach, he stressed that the famous trainer could do no good with de la Hoya.
“If he’s gonna try to impose his style on Oscar who is not a quick learner, all Nacho’s gonna do is screw him up. Wait till you see. Oscar’s gonna change his style and it’s not going to work,” Arum said in a report posted on SportsNews.ph.
Arum pointed out that Beristain’s fighting strategies could only work if he trained the fighter “from the beginning.”
“Nacho is a control freak and when he has a fighter from the beginning, like one of the Marquez brothers, he’s a terrific trainer,” said the Top Rank big boss.
Arum said this is the reason why he thinks de la Hoya committed a mistake in hiring Beristain.
“I’m really confident, I’m not just saying this. I’m very confident that Manny will win this fight and win it by late round stoppage,” said the Top Rank promoter.
Beristain, who is credited for training the likes of Ricardo Lopez, the Marquez brothers Juan Manuel and Rafael, Daniel Zaragoza and Humberto Gonzalez, earlier said he will be no major overhaul in de la Hoya’s fighting style.
He said de la Hoya’s edge in power will be enough to beat Pacquiao.
“It’s easy for me. Very normal for me in training him as it’s more of polishing or shaping a diamond. That’s what it is right now. Technically he won’t change because he has his style as a fighter,” said Beristain.
Beristain said Pacquiao will change his mind in remaining at the welterweight division once he faces de la Hoya.
“After what will happen on December 6, Manny Pacquiao will be more than willing to move down to 135 or 130 because he is going to get a tremendous beating,” he said.
