LAS VEGAS – Oscar de la Hoya brought in legendary trainers Ignacio (Nacho) Beristain and Angelo Dundee to prepare for Manny Pacquiao but despite their outstanding credentials, the pair proved no match in the battle of wits against Freddie Roach during the Dream Match at the MGM Grand Garden Arena here Saturday night.
Beristain, 69, has trained 16 world champions, including Juan Manuel Marquez, Ricardo Lopez, Chiquita Gonzalez, Gilberto Roman and Daniel Zaragoza. De la Hoya drafted the crafty tactician for his work with Marquez in two closely contested fights against Pacquiao.
Dundee, 87, was Muhammad Ali’s trainer for nearly 20 years and although he now wears hearing aids in both ears, is still considered a master strategist because of his extensive experience. Aside from Ali, Dundee worked with world champions like Sugar Ray Leonard, Willie Pastrano, Jimmy Ellis, Jose Napoles, Carmen Basilio and Sugar Ramos.
De la Hoya’s partnership with Beristain and Dundee was a first. Since turning pro in 1992, the Golden Boy has worked with a variety of trainers, including Robert Alcazar, Jesus Rivero, Emanuel Steward, Gil Clancy, Floyd Mayweather and even Roach.
Whenever De la Hoya fared poorly in a fight, he blamed his trainer and it eventually led to a parting of ways.
Roach, 48, has teamed with Pacquiao since the Filipino icon ventured to the US, looking for fame and fortune in 2001. They have been inseparable the last seven years.
If De la Hoya thought Beristain could transform him into a Marquez, he was mistaken. Because Marquez once held Pacquiao to a draw then lost a split decision in a rematch, the conventional thinking was Beristain held the key to bringing down the Filipino.
“The problem was De la Hoya isn’t Marquez and will never be like Marquez,” said a boxing expert. “De la Hoya isn’t a counter-puncher by nature. He likes to lead off with the left jab, often doubling it to start a combination to end with his most lethal weapon, the left hook. If Beristain tried to mold De la Hoya into a Marquez, he was on the wrong track. Adding Dundee to the team was another mistake.”
Although there is a lot of respect for Dundee as a Hall of Famer, he is badly out of touch with today’s boxing trends. It’s possible De la Hoya recruited Dundee for publicity purposes - in which case, there was no value added to what the Golden Boy brought into the ring.
Besides, it’s widely known that De la Hoya himself calls the shots in his camp, nobody else.
Beristain has been involved in boxing as a fighter and trainer for over 50 years. He fought in the pros as a junior flyweight, flyweight and featherweight without much success. In 1959, Beristain quit the ring and decided to make a career as a trainer. In 1968, he started working with the Mexican Olympic boxing team. Beristain spent 16 years and went to four Olympics with the squad.
Beristain’s style was influenced by Russian and Cuban amateur fighters. “Defensively sound, economical and powerful, a skilled fighter practicing Beristain’s style resembles a cobra preparing to strike,” wrote Damien Picariello in Boxing Digest magazine. “Beristain’s brainchild just may be the most singularly recognizable and devastatingly effective style in the sport today.”
Beristain is an uncompromising drillmaster who demands unwavering discipline from his fighters.
At present, Dundee’s main preoccupation is showing up at a training facility in South Florida. He no longer actively trains fighters but still prepares workout schedules and scouts for talents.
Neither Beristain nor Dundee had an answer for Pacquiao’s speed in the Dream Match.
In the corner, Beristain begged for De la Hoya to pressure Pacquiao, throw the left jab and cut the ring off. He desperately tried to light a fire in De la Hoya’s belly. But the Golden Boy just didn’t respond.
Roach laid out a perfect fight plan predicated on speed, lightning-quick combinations and a sustained body attack in the middle of the ring. Pacquiao’s execution was near impeccable.
In the end, Beristain raised the white flag because De la Hoya’s ego wouldn’t allow him to do it. De la Hoya’s consolation was he finished the fight on his feet. He was never knocked down. Of course, it didn’t matter. Pacquiao and Roach masterfully teamed up to thrash the Golden Boy while Beristain and Dundee watched helplessly.