By Jhonny Gonzalez
The WBA/WBO lightweight champion of world, Juan Manuel Marquez, has forced the hand of his trainer Nacho Beristain. The very respected trainer had agreed to work with junior welterweight Marcos Maidana, who recently broke away from trainer Miguel Diaz. Marquez was not happy with Nacho training Maidana, but Maidana's adviser Sebastian Contursi thought an understanding had been reached with Marquez. It appears not.
Two hours before Maidana was set to arrive at Beristain's gym in Mexico, he was advised to go home because Marquez would not allow the new training union to take place. Maidana and his team have wasted no time in getting a new helping hand. They hired Rudy Perez, who previously trained Marco Antonio Barrera - the biggest career rival of Erik Morales. Maidana faces Morales on April 9 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
"We arrived in Mexico City and were supposed to train with Nacho but two hours before going to the gym he said he couldn't do it. Nacho said Marquez wouldn't allow him to train me. It seems that Marquez is jealous and scared of the possibility of facing me some day. Nacho didn't even bother to talk to me. He only did it with my advisor. He just left us abandoned," Maidana said.
"Why did he make us travel to Mexico? Not very pro from Nacho, right? But luckily Mexico is a land of boxing and here we'll stay, to train in the heights. My new trainer is Rudy Perez, who knows how to beat Erik Morales."