By Rick Reeno
Trainer Nacho Beristain had mixed emotions when he saw Jhonny Gonzalez (55-8, 47KOs) stop Abner Mares (26-1-1, 14KOs) in the first round of their fight on Saturday night at the StubHub Center in Carson, California. Nacho, who currently trains Gonzalez, is the former trainer for Mares and the two of them were very close. During the first round action, Gonzalez caught Mares with his big left hand to send him down once. And then it didn't take long for Gonzalez to drop him hard for a second time to reclaim the WBC featherweight crown.
"I knew it wasn't going to go the distance. I know Abner very well, I trained him for many years. He was with me for some time. I know Abner's qualities and I know Jhonny hits very hard, he has a big punch. Realistically for me, it hurt to see Abner on the floor. It hurt me very much. I have a lot of affection for him. He was with me for a long time. It was very painful to see that happen to him," Nacho said.
