Interview with Ignacio "Nacho" Beristáin

In Mexico City

At 11 in the morning, Ignacio "Nacho" Beristáin answers his phone in Mexico City and speaks with his mouth full: "I can't talk right now," he says. Apologizing, he explains: "I'm having breakfast with a friend. If you call me in an hour, I will gladly talk to you."

Before ending the call, Beristáin asks, curious: "What do you want me to talk about?"

-About Román "Chocolatito" González-, I reply.

-Sure, just call me-, he responds.

One hour later, the legendary Mexican trainer, who has produced more than twenty world champions, the most famous of them Juan Manuel "Dinamita" Márquez, says he is ready and invites me to ask him questions.

What did you think of Román's latest fight against Thai boxer Srisaket Sor Rungvisai?

It is unfortunate what happened to Román. Nobody expected such a tragic ending. But what surprised me was not what I saw in the ring, but how he looked on the day of the weigh-in. It was clear that he had done little physical work, and that raised a red flag for me. In the first round, I confirmed that he was not well-prepared.

Did you see fear in him?

Yes, that is what a boxer usually reflects when he knows he hasn't trained well.

After two difficult rounds, what were your thoughts?

The fight didn't become complicated there, not at that moment, but three days before. He knew he was not prepared for it. He knew the result was going to be negative because he hadn't trained well, or the people who trained him didn't demand a full and tough training. He was not in good shape.

When Román went down for the first time, what should he have done?

I think he should not have taken more risks, because he was already hurt. I even thought he had been injured in the jaw, he took some heavy blows.

He fought back, and paid the price...

He had no other choice, he had no other option but to stand his ground and fight because he knew that the result was coming down on him.

Are you saying that Román gave up?

What I personally think, based on my experience with irresponsible fighters who have had a tragic ending, is that if they don't train and don't have a physical foundation, they resort to the same thing during the fight, to stand there and fight.

For serious fights like this, how much training time is recommended?

I believe a dedicated boxer should have at least six weeks for a regular training (...) but when they train for three months, the boxer arrives in great physical condition and mentally prepared.

This was Román's fourth fight in the super flyweight division. What future do you see for him here?

I think he should make an effort, even if it means long-term training, to go back to the previous division (flyweight). The 115-pound division is becoming increasingly difficult, there is a Japanese fighter (Naoya Inoue) who hits hard and resists, and there is the Mexican "Gallo" Estrada who is a great fighter but is diminished by a hand injury.