Translation: Nacho Beristain's Extensive Golpe A Golpe Interview (W/ JMM as well)

Hey guys. Here is a great interview with Nacho in which he talks about his career, his gym, his fighters, and his feelings on being recently inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Original video can be found here: http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/tv/programas/golpe-a-golpe

(I translated a short second segment following this one in which he answers questions about Canelo & Chavez Jr., among a few other things. It can be found here: http://www.eastsideboxing.com/forum/showthread.php?p=10044944#post10044944)

Enjoy.

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Announcer Dude: Hello friends, a pleasure to greet you. Welcome this week to Golpe A Golpe. Unfortunately, Juan Manuel is not here, but Nacho Beristain is, the personal trainer of Juan Manuel Marquez; and so Don Nacho, it's a pleasure to be here with you, and of course to personally congratulate you on your recent entrance into the Hall of Fame. How are you?

Nacho: Thank you very much. I'm good, fortunately I'm doing well.

Announcer Dude: Don Nacho we're going to talk about boxing. Are you ready?

Nacho: Always.

Announcer Dude: Perfect. Let's start. Let's kick off precisely by making a link with Juan Manuel Marquez which goes all the way to his house, where we greet him: Juan Manuel, here is Nacho Beristain, your trainer, how are you?

JMM: What's up Jorge? It's a pleasure to have you guys, Don Nacho Beristain as well, Nacho I say hello with great pleasure and appreciation. And Jorge, I think to have a man there like Nacho Beristain, one should feel graced by the presence of a great manager, with great experience that just earned him a place in the Hall of Fame. I think I also would have liked to be present there to congratulate him. And I'll see him again in the gym, but I think that for me, for a lot of people, it's a matter of great pride to have him there on the show.

Announcer Dude: It surely is, Juan Manuel. Well, up ahead, we're going to elaborate with Juan Manuel Marquez who will be in contact throughout the whole show elaborating with us. So, a few days ago, Nacho Beristain, Julio Cesar Chavez, Mike Tyson, Joe Cortez, Sylvester Stallone- this was the class of 2011 of inductees into the Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York. Nacho Beristain, the first Mexican manager to be elevated into the Hall of Fame. Nacho, important moments in your career, unforgettable moments...

Nacho: Yes, very emotional for me. I was very nervous when I raised my gaze and saw 10,000 people there, in front of me; it made me very nervous.

Announcer Dude: It's practically the cherry on the cake, right Nacho?

Nacho: Well not too much of a cherry, because they got you signing five or six thousand autographs, and then you're ready to go back to the hotel and sleep all night.

Announcer Dude: Nacho, what does it mean to you to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, next to two names in particular: Mike Tyson and Julio Cesar Chavez?

Nacho: It was marvelous for me, to be next the biggest fighter Mexico has given to boxing and the world, and it's wonderful because he was always a friend to me, and his profile is humble, and for that the people love him.

Announcer Dude: Nacho, when one imagines getting to the Hall of Fame, many things might cross one's mind. But is there something missing for Nacho Beristain in professional boxing to accomplish?
Nacho: Well, the dream of having 25 world champions. I think of the future. That's why I take care of myself daily, I maintain myself well. In the future I can succeed in making that landmark. For me it would be marvelous to have 25 world champions. And also I want to thank my fighter Juan Manuel Marquez, for what he expresses about my persona, because he is a great fighter, and a great human being.

Announcer Dude: Let's review the most important accomplishments of Nacho Beristain, in your career as a trainer. 22 champions to date, including Juan Manuel Marquez; trainer of three members of the Hall of Fame; Trainer of 3 Mexican Olympic teams, 1968, 76, 80; a name that all that know boxing recognize. And so, we're going to take great advantage of his presence; so Don Nacho, elaborate for us on your virtues, and if you can, also your defects, what has happened throughout this career of so many years training world champions; along the way tasting some drinks that were very flavorful, and others quite bitter; talk to us a bit about that Nacho.

Nacho: Well firstly, I'd tell you that I've had a very constant line of conduct. I know that my discipline doesn't expand, nor does it shrink, and that the deal I always make with my fighters is with measure, with respect; it's hard, it's difficult, and I only want to get it in their heads that it's the exact line necessary to be able to handle a boxing style with habits that are technically pure. The passion for what you do is very important, for any athlete, not just in boxing. I think that in athletics, in all that involves sports, the discipline is fundamental; the passion as well.

Announcer Dude: Don Nacho, your gym is called "Romanza". We, the people who know you, know exactly why it is, but explain to the public why you decided to name it so, Nacho.

Nacho: "Romanza," because, well you know the measure of corruption that exists in the government. We were working in a gym in which we maintained and complied with all the time in order to keep it at the top level. But there came, as always, a vicious man, a very difficult man who gave us an impossible monthly fee, and so we started to think about buying a property and putting a gym there, so as to not have to depend on that type of people, vicious people. And we succeeded, and we called it "Romanza" because Gilberto Roman was, you know, champion of the world two times in the same division; an excellent fighter, I think one of the finest fighters to have existed, that has come out of Mexican boxing. But suddenly came "El Chato", "El Chato" Zaragoza; great, great fighter; and we couldn't deny it either, the lasting presence of his name in the gym. And so we formed it out of the last names of Roman and of Zaragoza, to make "Romanza", of course with the permission of the widow of Roman, and of Zaragoza, who it seemed resisted a bit, who maybe got to think a little highly of himself, but it was nothing more than a front/posing, because he's always been a great guy. He might be the fighter who I have the most affection for.

Announcer Dude: Nacho, in a few moments, we're going to once again elaborate with Juan Manuel Marquez, but I would like to ask one more question in this segment; what is the profile of the school of Nacho Beristain?

Nacho: Well, we look for perfection in combinations of punches. We believe that at one particular period in history, Mexican boxing wasn't composed of fighters that attacked, generally speaking. The Cubans, The Puerto Ricans, The Dominicans, on some occasions would express the idea that the Mexican fighter only came forward and took blows and was based in his physical strength; and as boxing evolves in the whole world, we have succeeded in composing a boxing style, from when I had the opportunity to observe boxing in Europe, in Russia, in the old Soviet Union; with the Cubans, which have a marvelous boxing style in the amateurs, I'm referring to the amateurs; and we succeeded in making something special, surpassing ourselves a bit more each time. We created a boxing method of high performance, very high performance. Because, to fabricate a boxer of high performance with technical habits that allow him to stand out and compete in the United States, and to go the hard route-since here in Mexico, we only have so much support from television networks, that support is gone-and so the pride that I have is that my fighters that have brought the title home abroad add up to a high number. We've won in Japan, we've won in Korea, we've won in Thailand, we've won in the United States- to all of my fighters, all of our champions, nobody has given them any gifts. They've won the title like Juan Manuel Marquez, who I can proudly say is 3 times champion of the world, and who would be four times champion were it not for his having to fight tooth and nail against the mafia (corruption) that has formed which had his title taken away from him sourly at the officials' desk.

Announcer Dude: Very well, let's elaborate with Juan Manuel Marquez. Juan, you're opinion on Nacho beristain, your opinion and the importance of having Nacho in your corner?

JMM: Well, what Nacho Beristain gives most valuably in the gym and in the corner, is that he transmits to you a lot of safety/security, a lot of experience from 22 world champions, which is not easy to be able to say. To have done it is a great work, and he has all the experience in the world. And I've learned from him security/safety, responsibility, and everything you have to carry with you in this sport, which is what I've learned from Nacho Beristain. I've learned from him a lot of things, the first being that you must be conscious of the fact that you have to train in order to get the triumph, and in the way that he directs us in the corner and in training; very fundamental. And I've learned the responsibility and the dedication with which one has to train in this sport.

 

You're all very welcome. I thought people would appreciate it, since it's unfortunately rare you hear Beristain, such a great trainer, speak about anything other than a few lines concerning upcoming fights. Here, his outlook really does reflect his experience and professionalism.

I was really intrigued by the Romanza naming origins. I had no idea and thought it was really cool that it was a fusion between the names "Roman" and "Zaragoza".

 

Yea, good fundamentals both offensively and defensively, great combinations, and lethal uppercuts are all trademarks of the Nacho school of boxing.

I found it really interesting how he formed his own style with a mix of European, Soviet, and Cuban styles on top of his own Mexican background. It makes sense when you really look at his fighters.

 

So, one of the greatest active trainers in the sport, who seldom gives more than a few words, gives a detailed account of his career and school of thought...and all of these pathetic Floyd/Pac Klitschko/Haye threads get eaten up like mad by the users from this forum while this one get's relegated to the second page in a matter of minutes.

 

I do put in a lot of effort, as well as time; thanks for the kind words my friend.

I often long for more technical talk on the forum, and this is my way of both giving a look into the world of broad Latin American boxing and sparking conversation on the finer details of the game. I guess I just get disappointed when I find a gem like this one, and then get the silence of crickets napping as reciprocation atsch

I'd love to get a job one day as an online boxing journalist. It's not a career aspiration of mine, but I think I'd do a good job as an online contributor for boxing articles or translation work. If anyone were to need a general translator, I'd be able to provide. Perhaps I'll look around for such a lil niche :think

 

I'm gonna bump this yet again with a classic:

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Added the video for you guys:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M_deSGn7vM[/ame]