“FLOYD IS…A GIFT, MANNY IS…SPECTACULAR”

Posted on | August 10, 2010 | 1 Comment

By: John Martinez, Fightchronicles.com

After handing Juan Diaz a second loss in their two head to head match ups, WBA lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez called out a familiar name. “The Mexicans, the Filipinos, everyone wants to see it (a third fight with welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao). I’ll be ready for November, and hopefully Pacquiao will take the fight.”

Well one thing is certain. JMM will fight in November according to his trainer, Nacho Beristain, but as for whom he will face come fight night?

“We are fighting Michael Katsidis in November out of obligation.”

Beristain informed me that his fighter, JMM, is currently in Los Angeles meeting with GB representatives to cement this fight.

“The fight with Pacquiao isn’t going to happen. I don’t believe it’s ever going to happen again because Bob Arum isn’t trying to make this fight happen.”

Not trying to make this fight happen?

Who wouldn’t want to see a third clash between these to combatants?

The answer? The businessman that stands to gain in the short run, but lose more in the future. After twenty-four rounds of brutality, one thing is certain, JMM is a TRUE threat and viable foe for the Top Rank’s cash cow, Manny P.

Beristain insisted to me that he and his student not only knpow how to win, but DID win already.

“We came from behind after stumbling early in our first fight with him (Pacquiao) to a draw decision. But in our last fight with him, we beat him by two points.”

So with the Katsidis fight being confirmed by Beristain, I took the opportunity to have him handicap a potential clash between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.

“Floyd Mayweather is special; a gift. He is very difficult to fight because it’s very hard to hit him. His defense is strong and hard to breakthrough.”

“In fighting Manny, Floyd will be bigger and have those quick hands.”

“With Manny, you’ve got a fighter that doesn’t showboat. He is quick, but not as quick as Mayweather,” Beristain continued, ” but I will say that he is definitely a fighter that knows how to hit. He is a spectacular fighter.”

“I won’t comment on who I think wins this fight. That is for the time when they fight.”

In addition to providing his thoughts on the Floyd/Manny showdown, Beristain also gave his insight on the potential “fight of the year” rumble between his former student, Rafael Marquez and current WBO featherweight sensation, Juanma Lopez.

The two are to meet on September 18 at the MGM GRAND in Las Vegas for Lopez’s title. The bout will air live on SHOWTIME Network.

Said Beristain, “Rafa and I parted ways due to scheduling conflicts. He wanted me to be available to him when I couldn’t be so he went on his own to train with a new coach.”

“I believe this fight is going to be great, but the outcome will be Lopez winning.”

Beristain is confident in his prediction because as he told this scribe, “JuanMa is younger, stronger, faster, and hits harder than Rafa ever did.”

So the question becomes, who you got? Floyd over Manny? JuanMa over Rafa?

jmartineztd21@yahoo.com

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