Funny Nacho

Ignacio Beristain, currently best known to boxing fans as the trainer of the Márquez brothers, gave an interview to Milenio regarding his recent election to the Boxing Hall of Fame and sundry other topics, and it turns out he's a pretty funny guy, in a Ted Williams sort of way:

How did you find out about your election to the Hall of Fame?

I was on the highway driving my '65 Mustang, and another car lowered the window to yell at me: "Don Nacho, we just heard that you were elected to the Hall of Fame". The motherfuckers made me park the car on the shoulder of the highway so that I could listen to them. I thought they were going to rob me.

Any wish for the New Year?

I ask Mexicans to not be such dumbasses as to vote for the PRI. And the PAN even more so. They called me from the Interior Secretariat for making these types of comments in the past. Once, in the era of Zedillo, they invited a champion of mine to Los Pinos, but they warned him: "Don't bring your trainer". Poor bastards! I still haven't eaten from the sadness of not being invited to Los Pinos.

Other comments are largely in that spirit, which seems to be lost in translation during interviews with the American boxing media. He also had some colorful criticisms of trainers who let their charges absorb tremendous beatings (he's against it), and said that De la Hoya's brother wanted him to give Oscar one more round versus Pacquiao when Beristain called it a night.