The Neutral Corner

Once again, Oscar De La Hoya will have a new trainer in his corner. The Golden Boy has hired Ignacio 'Nacho' Beristain to prepare him for the Dec. 6 fight against Manny Pacquiao.

"I already have a plan in mind for beating Pacquiao and I know Oscar will do whatever it takes to carry that plan through on fight night," Beristain said in a prepared statement released by De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions.

Oscar has been trained by nearly every top trainer in the game, including Emanuel Steward, Gil Clancy, Floyd Mayweather Sr. and Freddie Roach. At this point, I'm sort of looking at Oscar like I'm looking at the New York Mets. If the Mets collapse again, well, maybe it wasn't Willie Randolph's fault.

If Oscar fades in yet another big fight, well, you can't blame every trainer in the game.

Beristain has worked with Mexican legends like Ricardo Lopez, Daniel Zaragoza and Humberto "Chiquita" Gonzalez. He currently trains Juan Manuel Marquez, who fought Pacquiao to a draw in 2004 and lost a split decision to him earlier this year.

-- CASSIDY