Nacho Focused: We Must Eliminate Gary Russell's Speed

By Edward Chaykovsky

Hall of Fame trainer Ignacio 'Nacho' Beristain, trainer of WBC featherweight champion Jhonny Gonzalez, views the factor of speed as the biggest obstacle to overcome when they face Gary Russell Jr. on Saturday night at The Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada. Russell came up short in his previous title opportunity, when he lost a twelve round decision to master boxer Vasyl Lomachenko last year.

“Gary Russell’s speed and quickness could be a factor for us in this fight. We must find a way to eliminate it. We need to find a solution to his quickness and do everything we can to win. We feel like we’ve prepared enough and are in a great position to come out on top," Nacho said. 

"Russell has fast hands and he recovers quickly. He has had knockouts at different weight levels. But we’re working really hard, and on Saturday you guys are going to see a different Jhonny Gonzalez."

Gonzalez is a one-puncher knockout artist, which Nacho views as the difference maker.

"Jhonny Gonzalez is a very strong fighter. I think the strength and power of his punch beats Russell's. I think that will be one of the keys-- Jhonny Gonzalez knows how to punch, hard. I don’t just believe in Jhonny because he’s my fighter, but because he’s fought and trained immensely hard -- he knows what he wants," Nacho said.