NACHO BERISTAIN CELEBRATES 85 YEARS
By Gabriel F. Cordero
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 01 Aug 2024
Ignacio "Nacho" Beristáin was born in Actopan but grew up in Xalapa, both towns in Veracruz, on July 31, 1939. Since his youth he has been in boxing as an amateur in the flyweight division and has been a boxing trainer for nearly 65 years.
At the age of 15 he arrived in Mexico City (the former Federal District) and around the age of 20 he began his career as a trainer and during that time he was assistant to the renowned trainer Adolfo "Negro" Perez and reached the amateur ranks with which he led the amateur boxing teams of Mexico with multiple victories in the Olympic Games, achieving 6 medals between 1968 and 1980.
His first professional champion was the holder of the title in two divisions and Hall of Famer, Daniel Zaragoza, followed by Gilberto Roman, Victor Rabanales, Juan Manuel and Rafael Marquez, Ricardo "Finito" Lopez, Juan Carlos Salgado, Abner Mares, Jhonny Gonzalez, Rey Vargas, Yessica Chavez and Humberto "Chiquita" González among many others.
In 2010, Beristain became a member of the World Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York along with the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez, Mike Tyson and actor Sylvester Stallone and in 2016 he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Even at 85 years of age he gets up at 4 in the morning, arrives super early to the iconic Romanza Gym and has time to train about 40 boxers a day. Around 2 in the afternoon he leaves for his home about 7 kilometers from the Gym, then in the afternoon he runs about 6 kilometers on a treadmill and if you call at 8 at night he is already sleeping.
Congratulations to a great Trainer, Father and Friend.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Gabriel F. Cordero.
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