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By Michael Gonzalez
What are you expecting from Juan Diaz against your charge, Juan Manuel Marquez, in the rematch of last year’s fight of the year? " I’m expecting a spectacular fight due to having a fine fighter such as Juan Manuel who is a great boxer and the other fellow, Diaz, who is also a good fighter. It’s a natural combination that will make for a great fight.
BT: How is Marquez looking in training camp?
NB: For it being the beginning of our preparation, he’s looking good.
BT: How is he reacting to coming down in weight from welterweight to lightweight?
NB: He has always been a lightweight or better yet a super-featherweight. Somewhere, somehow, someone put the idea in his head to go welterweight and super-welterweight and I don’t believe he should compete at those weights.
BT: What’s after Juan Diaz? It was said that Amir Khan was mentioned but you shot the idea down.
NB: I’m the one that said no. I don’t want him to take that fight because again, I insist, he is not a junior-welterweight.
BT: It’s been mentioned Marquez still wants the rubber match with Manny Pacquiao?
NB: We haven’t mentioned anything. It’s Pacquiao that has the thorn in his side and the rock in his shoe. He will leave boxing knowing that the people who follow boxing, who are experts in boxing, know he was never able to defeat Juan Manuel Marquez.
BT: So that’s something you would jump at?
NB: Well, they’ve already offered the fight.
BT: Really, they made an offer?
NB: Nothing official. But we did get an offer from the people at Top Rank Promotions, however, it was a miserable deal and I won’t accept that type of offer under any circumstances.
BT: That’s something I wanted to get into. No one will argue your prowess or hall of fame credentials as a trainer. However, as a manager many in the boxing community have questioned your calls; such as passing up $750,000 for a mega-fight with “Prince” Naseem Hamed for $30,000 against a relative unknown at the time Chris John in his backyard, Indonesia.
NB: Not true. Most of the information you find in articles, I believe, is done as a mandate or perhaps they receive a salary from Top Rank. That fight that we took in Indonesia was not just because I wanted to take it. They are placing the blame on me and I never wanted that fight. It’s just that the people don’t understand that we entered a purse bid and they set a trap for us. After we entered into the purse bid, everyone bailed out and they left us alone. It’s a detail that will stay with me for the rest of my life; not everything in boxing is clean. They withdrew from the bidding and left us on our own and we had a commitment to fulfill. It’s a commitment I absolutely did not want. If we did not follow through with our commitment, we would have come off as very cowardly. And Juan Manuel told me, “Let’s go, no problem.” And they robbed us. They did whatever they pleased at the hour of reckoning. They did not let us use the Mexican gloves, and well, it’s just too much to get into, too much to try to convince the people. Many people intervened to try and destroy the career of Juan Manuel because we did not want to continue with the promoter (Top Rank) that we had at the time. But no one, nowhere, when there is a great champion in a division can impede that they once again become champion of the world. They took his titles in total gangster fashion and we unfortunately did not have the resources to engage in a legal battle we would have easily won. It was everything boxing shouldn’t be; a fighter losing his titles at a desk.
BT: How do you see the Floyd Mayweather, Jr Vs Manny Pacquiao fight playing out if it ever happens?
NB: I’m inclined to pick Pacquiao because he’s the type of fighter that creates spectacular fights, he does not compromise to be spectacular, and also due to what I saw Shane Mosley do to Mayweather in the second round of their fight. I think it will be a spectacular, high tension fight; Pacquiao has very fast hands and hits very hard – great tools to have. Meanwhile Mayweather is always on the defensive and always takes the safest route, always short of spectacular. In that regard I don’t give Mayweather much credit. Sure he wins, but at what cost? For the people that pay for expensive tickets, it seems they are being shortchanged. He gives great lessons in boxing; no one will argue that, but very little spectacle and excitement.
BT: Michael Katsidis has been telling the press that Juan Manuel Marquez is ducking him.
NB: It’s not that we’re ducking him or don’t want to give him a chance, it just doesn’t make sense. Marquez is fighter that charges 1.5 million to 2 million dollars to fight and then they mention Katsidis for 1 million dollars. Marquez is at a point in his career where he will not take fights for short money.
BT: What are your thoughts on this weekend’s Rafael Marquez Vs Israel Vazquez fight? You obviously know both fighters well.
NB: I think Marquez will win. I’ll even go as far as to say that Marquez hasn’t lost any of the three fights. Something very strange happened in the second and third fight. The refs for that fight were very tendentious. In the second fight Vazquez’ face was an awful mess, in the aftermath we learned that Vazquez lost an eye (Note: detached retina). In the third fight the ref seemed a bit inpatient and partial to Vazquez. I believe it is because someone in Vazquez’ team has great influence with the California State Athletic Commission. And that’s been the story of a great trilogy that garnered the attention and admiration of the boxing community due to the great fights they have given us. However, this time I anticipate a short fight that won’t even make it to the seventh round.
BT: How much do you believe Rafael Marquez has left?
NB: Me personally, as a manager, believe they should both cash their check and hang’em up. They both came out of these fights very damaged, Vazquez more than Marquez. They’re both worn out and have completed this portion of their life. However, sometimes the ambition of the promoters causes them turn a blind eye to these matters because of the money involved.
BT: Also on the card Abner Mares, your former charge, takes on Yohnny Perez. Your thoughts?
NB: I think they’re underestimating the quality of Perez. I’ve only seen him fight three times, but in one of those fights he convinced me because he fought the last four rounds very valiantly and rescued a fight he was losing. Those four rounds he fought valiantly, throwing very good combinations. I feel he has everything physically while Mares, with all of his great qualities as a fighter, lacks the physical strength required to fight twelve full rounds. He’s a quality fighter, but he has a problem with one of his eyes and I believe that may be the difference. It would be very sad because Mares is a great kid who is very disciplined.
BT: How about a Ricky Hatton Vs Juan Manuel Marquez fight?
NB: I think that would be tough to do because Hatton is not disciplined. In his fight against Mayweather he seemed tipsy and heavy. From here to September, if Hatton could make the weight, I like that fight at junior-welterweight and nothing more.
BT: Tell us about the state of Mexican boxing?
NB: Well, I can tell you that Mexican boxing is so generous that I have three Mexican fighters scheduled for world championship fights. And we also have former world champ Jhonny Gonzalez, who has five straight knockouts at featherweight and has been looking good, in the hunt for another world title. I also have thirteen or fourteen young amateurs who have been looking good and have been generating a buzz about them. They have demonstrated a lot quality.
BT: You once told me you have a heavyweight you were high on…
NB: I do. He put his education on hold to focus on boxing and he won the Golden Gloves in New York and came in third in the international tournament they hold in Kansas. However, his mother was pressuring him to finish school and he returned to do so. He has since told me he will receive his degree this year and then focus on boxing. We plan on testing him for a year in America and then go from there.
BT: What’s his name?
NB: Miguel Angel Tavera.
BT: Closing thoughts?
NB: The Romanza Gym will continue to give the boxing world lots to talk about. I believe we will very soon have our eighteenth and nineteenth champion of the world. I want send my warmest regards to the entire boxing community and especially the friends I left in Sacramento, CA. Vicente Escobedo and his brothers have been great friends of mine. Vicente is a very disciplined, very correct young man that any trainer would love to have. I never think of the hall of fame, I leave it to the people whose job it is to decide that. I’ve had seventeen great satisfactions (world champions) so far that have overwhelmed me with joy. I feel this is sufficient happiness to keep me from even thinking of the next. I’ve been blessed.
What are you expecting from Juan Diaz against your charge, Juan Manuel Marquez, in the rematch of last year’s fight of the year? " I’m expecting a spectacular fight due to having a fine fighter such as Juan Manuel who is a great boxer and the other fellow, Diaz, who is also a good fighter. It’s a natural combination that will make for a great fight.
BT: How is Marquez looking in training camp?
NB: For it being the beginning of our preparation, he’s looking good.
BT: How is he reacting to coming down in weight from welterweight to lightweight?
NB: He has always been a lightweight or better yet a super-featherweight. Somewhere, somehow, someone put the idea in his head to go welterweight and super-welterweight and I don’t believe he should compete at those weights.
BT: What’s after Juan Diaz? It was said that Amir Khan was mentioned but you shot the idea down.
NB: I’m the one that said no. I don’t want him to take that fight because again, I insist, he is not a junior-welterweight.
BT: It’s been mentioned Marquez still wants the rubber match with Manny Pacquiao?
NB: We haven’t mentioned anything. It’s Pacquiao that has the thorn in his side and the rock in his shoe. He will leave boxing knowing that the people who follow boxing, who are experts in boxing, know he was never able to defeat Juan Manuel Marquez.
BT: So that’s something you would jump at?
NB: Well, they’ve already offered the fight.
BT: Really, they made an offer?
NB: Nothing official. But we did get an offer from the people at Top Rank Promotions, however, it was a miserable deal and I won’t accept that type of offer under any circumstances.
BT: That’s something I wanted to get into. No one will argue your prowess or hall of fame credentials as a trainer. However, as a manager many in the boxing community have questioned your calls; such as passing up $750,000 for a mega-fight with “Prince” Naseem Hamed for $30,000 against a relative unknown at the time Chris John in his backyard, Indonesia.
NB: Not true. Most of the information you find in articles, I believe, is done as a mandate or perhaps they receive a salary from Top Rank. That fight that we took in Indonesia was not just because I wanted to take it. They are placing the blame on me and I never wanted that fight. It’s just that the people don’t understand that we entered a purse bid and they set a trap for us. After we entered into the purse bid, everyone bailed out and they left us alone. It’s a detail that will stay with me for the rest of my life; not everything in boxing is clean. They withdrew from the bidding and left us on our own and we had a commitment to fulfill. It’s a commitment I absolutely did not want. If we did not follow through with our commitment, we would have come off as very cowardly. And Juan Manuel told me, “Let’s go, no problem.” And they robbed us. They did whatever they pleased at the hour of reckoning. They did not let us use the Mexican gloves, and well, it’s just too much to get into, too much to try to convince the people. Many people intervened to try and destroy the career of Juan Manuel because we did not want to continue with the promoter (Top Rank) that we had at the time. But no one, nowhere, when there is a great champion in a division can impede that they once again become champion of the world. They took his titles in total gangster fashion and we unfortunately did not have the resources to engage in a legal battle we would have easily won. It was everything boxing shouldn’t be; a fighter losing his titles at a desk.
BT: How do you see the Floyd Mayweather, Jr Vs Manny Pacquiao fight playing out if it ever happens?
NB: I’m inclined to pick Pacquiao because he’s the type of fighter that creates spectacular fights, he does not compromise to be spectacular, and also due to what I saw Shane Mosley do to Mayweather in the second round of their fight. I think it will be a spectacular, high tension fight; Pacquiao has very fast hands and hits very hard – great tools to have. Meanwhile Mayweather is always on the defensive and always takes the safest route, always short of spectacular. In that regard I don’t give Mayweather much credit. Sure he wins, but at what cost? For the people that pay for expensive tickets, it seems they are being shortchanged. He gives great lessons in boxing; no one will argue that, but very little spectacle and excitement.
BT: Michael Katsidis has been telling the press that Juan Manuel Marquez is ducking him.
NB: It’s not that we’re ducking him or don’t want to give him a chance, it just doesn’t make sense. Marquez is fighter that charges 1.5 million to 2 million dollars to fight and then they mention Katsidis for 1 million dollars. Marquez is at a point in his career where he will not take fights for short money.
BT: What are your thoughts on this weekend’s Rafael Marquez Vs Israel Vazquez fight? You obviously know both fighters well.
NB: I think Marquez will win. I’ll even go as far as to say that Marquez hasn’t lost any of the three fights. Something very strange happened in the second and third fight. The refs for that fight were very tendentious. In the second fight Vazquez’ face was an awful mess, in the aftermath we learned that Vazquez lost an eye (Note: detached retina). In the third fight the ref seemed a bit inpatient and partial to Vazquez. I believe it is because someone in Vazquez’ team has great influence with the California State Athletic Commission. And that’s been the story of a great trilogy that garnered the attention and admiration of the boxing community due to the great fights they have given us. However, this time I anticipate a short fight that won’t even make it to the seventh round.
BT: How much do you believe Rafael Marquez has left?
NB: Me personally, as a manager, believe they should both cash their check and hang’em up. They both came out of these fights very damaged, Vazquez more than Marquez. They’re both worn out and have completed this portion of their life. However, sometimes the ambition of the promoters causes them turn a blind eye to these matters because of the money involved.
BT: Also on the card Abner Mares, your former charge, takes on Yohnny Perez. Your thoughts?
NB: I think they’re underestimating the quality of Perez. I’ve only seen him fight three times, but in one of those fights he convinced me because he fought the last four rounds very valiantly and rescued a fight he was losing. Those four rounds he fought valiantly, throwing very good combinations. I feel he has everything physically while Mares, with all of his great qualities as a fighter, lacks the physical strength required to fight twelve full rounds. He’s a quality fighter, but he has a problem with one of his eyes and I believe that may be the difference. It would be very sad because Mares is a great kid who is very disciplined.
BT: How about a Ricky Hatton Vs Juan Manuel Marquez fight?
NB: I think that would be tough to do because Hatton is not disciplined. In his fight against Mayweather he seemed tipsy and heavy. From here to September, if Hatton could make the weight, I like that fight at junior-welterweight and nothing more.
BT: Tell us about the state of Mexican boxing?
NB: Well, I can tell you that Mexican boxing is so generous that I have three Mexican fighters scheduled for world championship fights. And we also have former world champ Jhonny Gonzalez, who has five straight knockouts at featherweight and has been looking good, in the hunt for another world title. I also have thirteen or fourteen young amateurs who have been looking good and have been generating a buzz about them. They have demonstrated a lot quality.
BT: You once told me you have a heavyweight you were high on…
NB: I do. He put his education on hold to focus on boxing and he won the Golden Gloves in New York and came in third in the international tournament they hold in Kansas. However, his mother was pressuring him to finish school and he returned to do so. He has since told me he will receive his degree this year and then focus on boxing. We plan on testing him for a year in America and then go from there.
BT: What’s his name?
NB: Miguel Angel Tavera.
BT: Closing thoughts?
NB: The Romanza Gym will continue to give the boxing world lots to talk about. I believe we will very soon have our eighteenth and nineteenth champion of the world. I want send my warmest regards to the entire boxing community and especially the friends I left in Sacramento, CA. Vicente Escobedo and his brothers have been great friends of mine. Vicente is a very disciplined, very correct young man that any trainer would love to have. I never think of the hall of fame, I leave it to the people whose job it is to decide that. I’ve had seventeen great satisfactions (world champions) so far that have overwhelmed me with joy. I feel this is sufficient happiness to keep me from even thinking of the next. I’ve been blessed.
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