Ignacio Beristain βNachoβ: A Biography
Date of Birth: | July 31, 1939 |
Place of Birth: | Actopan, Veracruz, Mexico |
Nickname: | Nacho |
Gym: | Romanza Gym (Opened 1992, Closed 2020 due to CoVid19) |
Location: | Mexico City |
Boxing Background: | Amateur Boxer and Boxing Trainer |
Notable Fighters:Β | Daniel Zaragoza, Juan Manuel Marquez, Rafael Marquez, and Oscar De La Hoya |
Ignacio Beristain: Early Years
Ignacio βNachoβ Beristain fell in love with boxing as child. He began his career as an amateur in the Light Flyweight Division later turning professional. This proved a short career as he was forced to retire prematurely in 1959 due to an eye injury. βHanging up his glovesβ as a fighter would actually prove a blessing for Beristain as he would go on to become in many peopleβs opinion the best trainer in Mexican history.
Early years Training Amateurs
Initially, Beristain would focus on training amateur boxers. Indeed, he trained amateur boxing teams at the 1968, 1972, 1976 and 1980 Olympic Games. Beristain was part of the coaching staff that saw Mexico win 4 Olympic medals in 1968 at the Olympics held in his home country – Mexico! AgustΓn Zaragoza and JoaquΓn Rocha earned bronze medals and Ricardo Delgado and Antonio RoldΓ‘n were crowned with winning golds. Beristain would then go on to lead the Mexican boxing teams in Munich 1972, Montreal 1976, and Moscow in 1980. The last of which (Moscow 1980), βNachoβ prefers to forget, remembering only that his team of fighters were unfairly eliminated despite great performances.
Transition to Training Professionals
BeristΓ‘inβs transition to the pros rested largely on his star amateur pupil Daniel Zaragoza becoming a world champion but it was not the only reason. Nacho had become fed up with the corrupt inner circles of Mexican sports (a whole topic of its own) with support for Olympic athletes at the time very poor, and many βshadyβ decisions undertaken by those in charge. Nacho later even stated though there is much more transparency and support nowadays – though not as much as he would like, he had βgot tired of being a bureaucrat and being witness to all the dirty business handled by the government.β
Ignacio Beristain: A Professional Trainer
Nachoβs faith in Daniel Zaragoza was not unfounded. He would become his first professional world champion. A two-division title holder and future hall of famer in 2004 Daniel βthe road warriorβ Zaragoza under Igancio would end his career with a record of 55 wins (28 by K/O), 8 loses and 3 draws. His championship successes came in 1985 for the WBC Bantamweight Title with a disqualification victory over Freddie Jackson. In 1988 he then moved up to win the WBC Super Bantamweight Title with a 10th round victory by TKO over future Hall of Famer Carlos Zarate. Zargoza successfully retained this championship five times.
Nacho during his professional training career has been recognised for working with at least 25 world champions.
Ignacio Beristain: Notable Boxers Trained
Amongst them were:
- Ricardo LΓ³pez – Four time champion (Hall of fame member)
- Juan Manuel MΓ‘rquez – Four division champion (Hall of fame member)
- Rafael MΓ‘rquez – Two division champion
- Daniel Zaragoza – Four time champion (Hall of fame member)
- Humberto GonzΓ‘lez – Four time champion (Hall of fame member)
- Victor Rabanales – Bantamweight champion
- Oscar De La Hoya – Six division champion
- Jorge Arce – Four time champion
- Guty Espadas – Flyweight champion
- Guty Espadas, Jr. – Featherweight champion
- Alfredo Angulo – Jr middleweight prospect
- Enrique SΓ‘nchez – Bantamweight champion
- Gilberto RomΓ‘n – Two time champion with 11 title defenses
- Jhonny GonzΓ‘lez – Two division champion
- Melchor Cob Castro – Two time champion
- Rodolfo LΓ³pez – Featherweight champion
- Alejandro Barrera – Jr middleweight prospect
- Abner Mares – Bantamweight champion
- Vicente Escobedo – Former title challenger
- Juan Carlos Salgado – Two time champion
- Jorge Paez – Two time champion
- Julio CΓ©sar ChΓ‘vez Jr. – Middleweight champion
- Rey Vargas – Super bantamweight champion
The records of the fighters noted are briefly stated and easily further researched so itβs best to focus on those Nacho was most renowned for and associated with.
Nacho and the Marquez Brothers
Nacho is most famously remembered today as having been the βlifetimeβ trainer of both of the extremely successful Marquez brothers. Indeed, for the entirety of the amateur and professional career of eldest brother Juan Manuel, and excepting a few final professional fights, the same can be said of younger brother Rafael. Beristain guided and trained both the Marquez brothers to victories in multiple world title fights, successful title defenses and championship reigns in multiple weight classes. Their records can be seen in the respective hyperlinks.
Another very notable fighter β Oscar de la Hoya.
Although Nacho was not the exclusive trainer of the βGolden Boyβ Oscar De La Hoya, he did train him during 2008. Given by this time Oscar was an eight time world champion in six different weight classes. Itβs a testament to the skill of Ignacio βNachoβ Beristain that he was employed in such a capacity. Indeed, he was even in the corner in collaboration with one Angelo Dundee during De La Hoyaβs fight with Manny Pacquiao on the 6th December 2008. ABS-CBN citing Ignacio as the βmain man in chargeβ with Dundee just an advisor!
Oscar De La Hoya would himself confirm this stating, βNacho is the head trainer, heβs the head honcho and heβs in charge. He is the man. Why not bring in the legendary trainers of our time?β
Ultimately, the two legendary trainers were forced to endure defeat with an aging De La Hoya soundly beaten and forced to retire in the 9th round by a Pacquiao in his prime. Oscarβs phenomenal boxing records and achievements are nevertheless viewable here: Oscar De La Hoya
Nacho Style!
Nacho earned a reputation for developing fighters with a high boxing technical prowess. Equally, he was a trainer that heavily advocated combination punching that ended with an uppercut.
Note it is worth mentioning here that although Ignacio was known as a predominantly Mexican trainer, Japanese, Argentine, Russian, and English fighters arrived from all over the world in order to study under the guidance of the person considered Mexicoβs finest coach.
Nachoβs style and technique can be summed up in his own words, “All the people tell me that most of my fighters box a similar way, some even make fun of me because my fighters always come out with a very good guard. When people see someone with a guard like the one I teach, they know that they are my fighter. When they see them boxing they convince themselves that they are my fighters.”
For Nacho, work ethic was the key and nobody deserved more respect than the fighters themselves.
βI like my job, I develop it well, at 8:00 am I am here, I look like my helpers’ assistant, because they arrive later and others arrive when I am finishing,”
Nachoβs View on his best pupils.
A very fun insight into Nacho occurred when Mauricio SulaimΓ‘n, the President of the WBC, asked him about his fighters.
Nachoβs answers on the questions were:
Most disciplined: Daniel Zaragoza
Best Technique: Gilberto RomΓ‘n and Juan Manuel MΓ‘rquez
Greatest Courage: Daniel Zaragoza and Juan Manuel MΓ‘rquez
Fastest: Juan Manuel MΓ‘rquez
The most undisciplined: VΓctor Rabanales
The Friendliest: Ricardo LΓ³pez
Strongest puncher: Rafael MΓ‘rquez
Continuing in the same vain, WBC President Sulaiman asked Nacho to put together from all world fighters past and present calibration for his ideal boxer. His answers were interesting.
For Power: Roberto DurΓ‘n
For Chin: Daniel Zaragoza
For Jab: Juan Manuel MΓ‘rquez / Gilberto RomΓ‘n
For Style: Muhammad Ali
For Bravery: Daniel Zaragoza
Ignacio Beristain: Living Legend
Accolades
- In 2006, Ignacio βNachoβ Beristain became a member of the World Boxing Hall of Fame as a trainer.
- In 2011, Ignacio βNachoβ Beristain was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.