Chavez Jr. hires Nacho Beristain, down to 180lbs as Canelo fight looms

As his big May 6th showdown with Canelo Alvarez has been set for T-Moblie arena in Las Vegas, all that’s left for Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. to do is get in tip-top condition and cut down to 164.5lbs. Neither of those things has been Chavez Jr.’s calling cards over the years, but he’s said to be truly dedicated to this fight in particular.

And after attempting to land Freddy Roach as a trainer, who turned him down, and then Robert Garcia, who effectively urned him down by refusing to relocate his training camp, Chavez Jr. has finally landed Nacho Beristain as a lead trainer — who most notably trained future Hall of Famer Juan Manuel Marquez.

In an interview with ESPN Deportes, Chavez Jr. talks about training for the big Cinco de Mayo fight.

"I have to work on speed, endurance and above all I do not have to fight with the weight and I will take advantage of my natural abilities on [Canelo]."

"I am taller, I have fought at higher weights than him and I have had more wars than him. Maybe it's the opponent that's going to be the difference."

Chavez Jr., who is reported to be currently around 180lbs, is expected to formally begin training camp with Beristain on February 16th and talks about his expectations for training:

"My dad tells me that I have to be physically and mentally well prepared. He has confidence in Beristáin, the strategy we are going to do and in which we will work hard not to battle anything with the weight, to be one hundred percent in physical condition - that is going to be fundamental for the fight."

And despite Beristain having been critical of Chavez Jr.’s coddled ways in the past, Jr. takes it all in stride as he admits he hasn’t done things the right way in past fights and expects that Beristain’s experience and demanding personality will help him reach his potential.