By Nicholas Samuilov, notifight.com
The former super lightweight champion of the World Boxing Association, Argentine boxer Marcos "El Chino" Maidana, is in Mexico, where on Monday he officially began his training camp under the orders of his new chief trainer, the legendary Ignacio "Nacho" Beristain. Maidana will face the former world champion in three categories, Mexico's Erik "El Terrible" Morales, on Saturday April 9 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Maidana (29-2, 27 KOs), had his first encounter with his new coach on Monday morning after getting up at 6am to go running at the high altitude in Mexico, and wasted no time in preparing against an opponent who he respects.
"We discussed some time ago that the opponent could be Erik Morales. I have not seen the videos [of his last fights]. I only saw him at his best, which they say is gone," said Maidana to BoxingScene's Carlos Irusta.
Maidana recognizes the vast experience of "El Terrible" (51-6, 35 KOs).
"[Morales] has a lot of wisdom in the ring, and a lot of experience. With that alone he can be tough. But I'll train hard and I'll be at my best," Maidana said.
Also referring to his recent coaching change after the separation from his compatriot Miguel Diaz and hiring Beristain, he stressing that there were never problems, and he had simply completed a phase:
"[With Miguel] we always had a good relationship. We finished very well, with a very good relationship. I learned a lot from him. I appreciate all the time that he gave me. He taught me a lot. But the team opted for a change, and now we will work with our new coach," Maidana said.
On the other hand, the advisor of Maidana, Sebastián Contursi, who traveled with Marco and his assistant coach, Cristian "Wonder" Rodriguez - who commands his training in Argentina, provided details about the the recent happenings of Maidana.
"We arrived on Saturday night. We're in a hotel one block from Paseo de la Reforma. At 6 in the morning we officially started with Beristain, and there was the first meeting between the two, and Maidana starting to run. And in the afternoon, we were at the Romanza gym."
Finally, Contursi had time to refer to the comments of the world lightweight champion of the WBA and WBO, Mexico's Juan Manuel Marquez, who had expressed discomfort because his current coach, "Nacho" Beristain, was training Maidana. The issue has been resolved, so it will not inconvenience either party.
"It's true. He said in Mexico, when he learned that "El Chino" would train with Beristain, that it would block off a potential opponent. He said it publicly. But I know that in private they sat down to talk and solved it. It would be a luxury for Marcos to have him as a sparring partner. What fighter would not want to spar with Juan Manuel Marquez?," he concluded.
