By Miguel Rivera
The man who created nearly 30 champions at his Romanza Gym in Mexico, Ignacio "Nacho" Beristain, is smirking at the critics who claim the Hall of Fame trainer was motivated by money in accepting the recent assignment of training Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Nacho will be the head trainer of Nacho when he prepares Chavez Jr. for the May 6th showdown with countryman Saul "Canelo" Alvarez.
The HBO Pay-Per-View fight will happen at a catch-weight of 164.5-pounds, with Chavez Jr. going down from 168 and Canelo going up from 154.
Nacho, who thrives on being involved in tough fights, says he was motivated by the challenge of getting Chavez Jr. prepared to beat Canelo.
He values this contest highly enough to recently state that he would actually retire the following day if Chavez Jr. manages to pull off the win. Chavez Jr. is viewed as a big underdog, mainly because of his past struggles with staying focused in training camp and making the contracted weight.
"We have been close to the father (Julio Cesar Chavez), he is a guy who is overwhelmed by the people who love him," Nacho told ESPN Deportes.
"In part I chose this challenge [because of my relationship with the father]. But aside from that, people sometimes do not believe that someone is a professional and grabs a fight not for the money, but for the challenge itself."
"It means a lot to me if [Chavez Jr.] manages to win by giving it to the people who wallow in nonsense. They tell me, 'how are you going to do it if this guy does not train.' A lot of people are talking about things that have not even happened yet. I respect boxing people a lot, the journalists, but I've heard that they are say I'm going in there for the [money]."
