Edwin Valero was Murdered
By Geno McGahee
The charge is serious and the conspiracy theory was born, created and firmly believed by the loved ones of deceased WBC Lightweight Champion, Edwin Valero. Valero, 27-0, 27 KO’s, was a terror in the ring, but reports would indicate that he was even more of a terror to his loved ones.
On April 18, 2010, the news broke that shocked the boxing world. The undefeated champion, seen as the successor to Manny Pacquiao as the most exciting fighter in the game, Edwin Valero, had murdered his 24 year old wife. It was an amazing and sad situation, but a foreseeable one to many. He had prior violent issues involving his wife and his mother, drinking problems, and wasn’t getting the proper help. He was a ticking time bomb.
Employees at the hotel where the murder took place as well as police officers have stated that Valero admitted his guilt, and while in his cell, hanged himself with a picture of his family in his mouth. The image of the Lightweight Champion hanging in a prison cell with the photograph of his loving family clinched between his teeth is far from the picture we had seen on February 6, 2010.
For years, Valero could only be seen by American audiences on youtube. The legend grew knockout by knockout, and the boxing fans began talking and expressing interest in seeing the man that had scored 18 first round knockouts. Medical problems stemming from a motorcycle accident prevented him from fighting in the US for quite a while, and he wouldn’t make his first big step there. He would make it in Mexico, but it would be picked up by Showtime.
Showtime presented a main event, pitting the Venezuelan power-puncher taking on the highly regarded Antonio DeMarco. This was the chance that boxing fans had waited for. We could see Valero live, against a good opponent, and he did not disappoint. Valero, suffering a horrible cut, persevered and stopped DeMarco in 9 rounds. It proved that he wasn’t just a brawler or a fraud. He was a true force with many marquee match ups set for the near future, if he could keep his focus and stay out of trouble.
The first sign of trouble came on March 25, 2010. Valero was accused of assault on his wife. She reported to the emergency room with a punctured lung with the story that she “fell down the stairs.” The story did not sit well with authorities as the injuries did not support the story they were given and when coupled with the fact that she had been treated for similar injuries before, the cause was obvious.
At the hospital, Valero erupted, displaying his violent behavior. He had a history of violence both inside and out of the ring and as courageous as he was inside of the ropes, he was equally despicable outside of them, beating women without mercy. When it came out that he had killed himself in his prison cell, it was not bad news and still isn’t. The story of suicide from guilt over the murder of his wife made a lot of sense, but not everyone is buying it. Some contend that the authorities murdered Valero.
Edward and Luis Valero requested that the body of Edwin be exhumed to prove that he was strangled to death by the police that took him into custody. Some point to the fact that he wore sweat pants (reportedly) into the prison cell but hanged himself with denim jeans. Another contention is that he had bruising that was inconsistent with suicide, and matched a struggle, supporting the theory that he was hanged by the police.
Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela came out during the investigation to state that Valero was innocent of the charge of murder in the case of his wife and was in fact murdered by his enemies. His coming forward with this theory, despite the long history of domestic abuse and admission of guilt, proves that had this murder gone to trial, Valero would have been a free man.
Despite my skepticism, some point to statements by Valero after his arrest, claiming that he and his wife were followed around by underworld figures, and that there was a plan to kidnap them both. He even claimed that a police officer had suggested that he checked into the very hotel where his wife was murdered. It was a set up!
An autopsy is supposed to prove the fact that Valero was murdered while in police custody, but even if this turns out to be true, it still doesn’t dismiss the fact that he beat his wife regularly and then murdered her. By no means is the police department right if it should come out that they killed the former champion to ensure that he would not be freed to fight again, but one can certainly understand their position.
The funeral for Valero was a strange sight with the streets full of mourners, all of them living vicariously through the fallen warrior…putting faith in him and refusing to give it up. “Champion,” was chanted by the crowd as they laid him to rest and some collapsed in a heap of emotion as the body was carried to the gym where he once trained. I can appreciate the admiration for a fighter, but the murdered wife was somehow lost in the story by the Valero fans. That is the true tragedy.
The question is: Was Edwin Valero murdered?
The answer to the question is irrelevant. The police should be punished for killing an inmate without question if that should be proven to be the case, but the end result whether it be murder or suicide seems to be justice for a woman that was beaten and killed. I wonder what goes through the mind of the mourners that wept for him and what they thought of his murdered wife’s life with him. Some fighters are elevated to Godly status and can do no wrong and perhaps this is a case of it.
With an undefeated record, a world of potential, and an enormous fan base, Edwin Valero had the world ahead of him and could have been in the big time right at this moment, perhaps facing off against Juan Manuel Marquez, but the monster inside the ring was not as ferocious as the monster outside of it, and because of that, we will never know what may have been.
Hugo Chavez and the Valero family may contend that this was some big conspiracy to set up Edwin and then take him out, but it is all nonsense. The history of abuse to his wife and others and drinking problem says it all. He murdered his wife and most likely, took his own life. The only big loss is that of the 24 year old woman that was once married to the lightweight champion.