Beristain Patches Rift with Marquez Over Khan Bout

According to an article published on Mexican newspaper La Jornada on February 9, current WBA, WBO and Ring Magazine lightweight champ Juan Manuel Marquez (age 36; 50(37)-5-1) has cleared things up with trainer Nacho Beristain and the duo is ready to begin training for Dinamita's next fight.

The relationship between the two turned sour for awhile, since Juan Manuel and Nacho were not on the same page as to what fight Marquez should take next. And it all started with the humbling experience Marquez had to go through last September when he jumped up almost two weight classes and was thoroughly dominated by Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The article quotes Beristain: "(Marquez) received bad advice from some people very close to him" regarding his fight with the Pretty Boy. That's why the trainer asked Marquez to keep said people at a distance, or at least not heed their advice regarding his professional decisions, since they are people "who know nothing about boxing."

Nacho continues: "He (Marquez) came to see me a few days ago. We talked about all that and about some other issues. Juan agreed with what I had to say, and I saw him very eager to get back on track. Everything has been smoothed out and we both left content. In fact, he told me that after taking care of some personal business, he will come back later this week to begin working."

Beristain goes on to say that Marquez "asked me to go with him to Los Angeles to work on the deal for his next fight, that his people (Golden Boy Promotions) want to match him with (Amir) Khan, but I told him that's not a fight to be taken lightly, as he (Khan) is very strong, and it's not a good fight right now, because he (Marquez) has not fully recovered from the Mayweather fight, which was just brutal."

"(Marquez) should look for a different opponent, one in his own weight class, and he should not be exploited again. Khan is a junior welter and that's where they want to make the fight; I think Juan Manuel deserves to bow out like a true champion, and not by being anyone else's stepping stone."

So if Juan Manuel Marquez takes to heart the advice of his long-time trainer, the rumored fight between him and Khan will now be ditched, and "Dinamita" would return to the lightweight division in which he so excelled in his only two bouts there.

An interesting point to consider is that the Katsidis-Guerrero fight scheduled for March 27 has been shelved due to Robert Guerrero having to attend to the health of his wife. Thus, the possibility of a Marquez-Katsidis WBO unification bout can certainly be revisited. It would no doubt be a crowd pleasing match. Just an old fashioned scrap between an offensive fighter and a counterpuncher, with no weight related handicaps to worry about on either side for a change.

To end on a wishful thinking mode, hopefully a Marquez-Valero contest is at least considered. Venezuelan Valero is on a roll, taking on all comers, and anxious to make up for lost time. Marquez is an old timer who is still good enough to be considered elite, but in desperate need of vindication. A great way for Marquez to get some confidence and motivation would be to have this fight take place in Mexico, where it would be huge.