Beristain concerned with Chavez Jr.’s psyche, not weight

Nacho Beristain, the well-respected trainer who will be guiding Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. through his clash with Canelo Alvarez, tells ESPN Deportes that he does have some worries about the upcoming fight, but his worries have nothing to do with Chavez Jr. making weight. Beristain is more concerned that Chavez Jr. might deviate from his game plan in a show of pride...

"My fear is that [Chavez Jr) is a boy of courage...and in a certain moment [he’ll leave the game plan behind]...he is thinking about going [right in] and hitting but we think differently, I would like to surprise him (Canelo) somehow with a different tactic and if we have to come forward, we’ll go.”

Beristain does not want his fighter to simply stand in front and trade shots with Canelo, so he’s been working with Chavez Jr. in camp on everything - offense, defense, new combinations, and power. And with this approach Beristain would like Chavez Jr. to take a page out of Erislandy Lara and Floyd Mayweather’s book in terms of fighting Canelo — something that seems as far-fetched as possible considering the style contrasts...

"We need to make (Canelo) lose the distance, when a fighter makes you lose the distance sometimes you do not know what to do. With the Cuban left-hander (Erislandy Lara), [Canelo] was stumbling and with Mayweather he was worse, with other fighters too. He looks great when opponents stand in front of him, when his opponent throws and he’s right there...he’ll put together combinations and strut and his corner feels like they have God," explained The Hall of Fame trainer.

Berstain says he’s been making a concerted effort to work with Chavez Jr. on speed, explosiveness, and waist movement in camp. He just hopes Chavez Jr. remembers it all once the action starts.

"[Chavez Jr] likes to throw his punches and is brave, (Chavez) stays there, because his character dominates him and I want him to do another type of fight. If we are going to try to surprise [Canelo], he’ll need to come in with another type of fight and then change halfway. If it’s necessary, we’re going to test Canelo, but first let's try to do something different to see what the brain of Canelo thinks," finished Beristain.

It will be interesting to see if Chavez Jr. does attempt to outbox Canelo Alvarez on the outside to start the fight. He’s not exactly fleet of foot and not known to have a pure boxer’s skill set. But let’s see what he brings to the table May 6.