Marquez's Sparring Search Proves Tough For Floyd Bout
By Mark Vester
The team of Juan Manuel Marquez is having a hard time finding sparring partners who can emulate the style of Floyd Mayweather Jr. The fight takes place on September 19 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Trainer/manager Nacho Beristain is trying to bring in a few fighters from South America to the Romanza Gym, including two from Venezuela.
"It's very difficult to find sparring with the style of Mayweather. We will bring in two Venezuelans and try to solve the problem. We hope that they will be here in a week and begin to work with Juan Manuel," Nacho told BoxNoticias.
Nacho says Marquez is bulking up well and feels very strong at their catch-weight welterweight encounter, nearly two weight divisions above Marquez's current weight of 135 where he holds two of the major titles. He also says the entire team is not paying attention to the many critics who see Mayweather going through Marquez at the higher weight.
"We have worked very hard for Marquez to gain weight and to move up there strong and not lose any of his strength. We want to comply with the agreement but the funny thing is, he feels very solid," Nacho said. "We are not interested in what the boxing world has to say and we don't pay attention to the people who say Mayweather will win. We plan to put in the serious work to win this fight."
As far as younger brother Rafael Marquez, Nacho wants to match him Israel Vazquez, but claims the Vazquez side is stalling on the fight.
"I believe that neither Israel nor Rafa have another option,because it is the only fight that [brings in the big money] and it could be done in October. But the problem is the manager of Vazquez. He is reluctant to sign the fight. I do not understand their position. Hopefully soon everything will be resolved between the two [sides]," Nacho said.
Send News Tips and Comments To Mark Vester @ boxingvester@gmail.com
