Nacho Beristain thought he had whipped Oscar De La Hoya into the tried and tested Golden Boy of old.

After spending eight full weeks with De La Hoya in isolation up in mountains of Big Bear, California, Beristain was confident he had done enough to bring back the pride and the menacing form that once was the trademark of De La Hoya.

But topnotch gym work doesn’t always reflect what’s going to happen during actual combat and Beristain, Mexico’s No. 1 cornerman, had a rude awakening over the weekend when De La Hoya wilted under Manny Pacquiao’s relentless aggression.

Just like what Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach said repeatedly, De La Hoya, who is pushing 36 early next year, can no longer pull the trigger.

“The reality is that Oscar never had control of the fight,” said Beristain, who was tapped by the Golden Boy to help him solve the puzzle that is Pacquiao. “He wanted to, but he wasn’t able to. Perhaps this was a sign that the end of his career has arrived.”

Beristain went further than saying that De La Hoya’s best option is to announce his retirement.

“I think trainer Freddie Roach gave him good counsel by telling him to hang up the gloves and not push his health into play,” said Beristain, whose statements were translated into English from its original Spanish version that appeared in the daily sports paper, ESTO.

Still, Beristain, who had a battery of trainers to assist him in the corner, stressed that De La Hoya could have emerged on top of the scheduled 12-rounder that came to an screeching halt after the eighth round when Beristain informed referee Tony Weeks that his fighter will no longer answer the bell.

“This was a fight that should have been won. Oscar was able to achieve a great physical condition during his training. I am witness that he did not have problems with his weight and he was not dried out from the vapors (of sauna). During that time he had a nutritionist by his side who took charge of his weight and diet. But at the time of the fight, he couldn’t do things well. He couldn’t deal with the versatility of Pacquiao.”

De La Hoya came in at 145 lbs and was 147 on fight night, while Pacquiao was lighter during the official weighin at 142 but was 148 ½ when he answered the bell for the first round.

“The Filipino is tremendous. I insisted that he walk to Pacquiao’s left side, but he insisted on walking to the other side, towards the right, and only managed to put himself in the line of fire. The fact is, because of Pacquiao’s mobility, he couldn’t find him.”

In the end, it all boiled down to that fabled axiom of everyday life: The spirit remains willing, but the flesh is weak.