Pacquiao-Barrera Interviews

Dan Rafael: So Rudy’s still the trainer, right?

Eric Gomez: I want to clarify about Rudy. Rudy’s not in the team. Twenty days before the last fight, Rudy renounced and he took off and he was there fight night but he wasn’t really part of the team. And he’s on his own now and he’s going to be doing his own thing.

Dan Rafael: So who is the trainer for Marco?

Eric Gomez: He said that the only difference is Rudy; that everybody else is still there; the same team. It’s my brother. My brother’s been in charge of my training for so many years and Tenaka who helps him with the mitts. But, you know, other than that, Rudy’s the only difference

Dan Rafael: Okay. So Eric just to clarify, the head trainer is the brother?

Eric Gomez: Yes. Jorge Barrera.

Dan Rafael: Jorge. Okay. I just have one more question for him. Marco has talked about retiring maybe by the end of this year. Obviously this is a big, big fight for him. Does he envision that however it goes that he’s going to call it a day when this is over? I mean, it will obviously a great way to retire on a great win like this. Of course if he loses, you know, I can also understand if he was going to call it quits. What are his thoughts about that?

Eric Gomez: He says, yeah, you know, it’s a decision I made. I basically am planning to retire. It’s not a decision I made overnight. It’s been, you know, within the last three years, I’ve been thinking about it. I’ve talked it over with my wife, with my family, with my friends and it’s something that I really want to do.

I just feel that I’ve been in this sport for so many years, 26 years I’ve been in this sport; eighteen as a fighter. And I’m ready to pass the torch. Pass it on to like fighters like Valero, Edwin Valero. All those guys out there that are calling out my name that want to fight me, let Valero fight them.

Dan Rafael: So is he saying for sure this is the last one, win or lose?

Eric Gomez: He says yeah, nothing’s changed. That should be my last fight.

Robert Morales: Marco, being that your first fight with Pacquiao, he didn’t just win a decision, he stomped you. How much has that defeat been eating away at you the past few years?

Eric Gomez: He says no, not at all. It hasn’t been eating away at me. It was just a bad night. I had very good fights after that. Big win against Erik Morales to regain the title. Not at all. It hasn’t - it didn’t eat away at me. Not at all. It was just a bad night and I learned from it. I just say it was experience and I learned from that experience.

Robert Morales: Okay. So does that mean that now - well let me ask it kind of in a different way then. Being that it was a decisive victory for Pacquiao, does that maybe give him a little bit more motivation than it might normally have given him if he just had lost a decision?

Eric Gomez: He says the motivation has been there ever since I signed the contract for this fight. I’m motivated because it’s personal. I’m motivated because I want to dedicate this fight to the Latin people. And it’s just - it’s been there ever since the fight was signed.

Robert Morales: Okay. Last thing. To him in his mind, why is it personal?

Eric Gomez: He says that it’s been a thorn in his side because he’s beaten so many Mexicans and obviously I want to put a stop to that. I want to put a stop to that. I mean, he’s beaten not only me. Other Mexicans have suffered at, you know, and been, you know, they’ve been defeated by him. So I want to put a stop to that.

David Avila: How did he convince another world champion like Valero to spar with him? I mean, it’s not often that world champions spar with other world champions.

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