Edwin Valero: What Could Have Been
By Donald Stewart
April 29th 2010. A self confessed murderer who was recently in rehab for alcoholism commits suicide in his prison cell just before being arraigned for his wife’s murder. The WBC declares that day, a day of world mourning and announce that they plan to create a fund for his children’s education. Sounds crazy?
Welcome to the world of Edwin Valero.
Valero’s suicide, bizarrely, made five boxing suicides in a ten month period. Ireland’s Bronze Medalist from Beijing, Darren Sutherland 4-0 4 KO’s, took his own life September 2009, Brazil’s Arturo Gatti’s 40-9 31 KO’s, death was eventually ruled a suicide in July 2009 and Nicaraguan Alexis Arguello 82-8 65 KO’s, who was a World Champion at three weights shot himself to death in July 2009.
But why were the WBC so pumped up about his death rather than the others?
Valero’s record was 27 fights, 27 wins, 27 knockouts. According to the WBC he is the only fighter to boast such a record in 300 years. A colorful character, Venezuelan Valero fought with his President, Hugo Chavez, tattooed on his chest. Nicknamed “the Inca,” Valero went to fight whoever was next on the list irrespective of what came his way.
But how good was he?
As with all questions which involve speculation it is perhaps hard to say. Let’s take his first 18 fights. They were also his first 18 professional rounds of boxing! All 18 of his opponents entered the ring and within 3 minutes were heading out of it! That may sound spectacular but how can you count them towards his value as a fighter? The quality of the opposition wasn’t the greatest and included some with fairly unimpressive pedigrees. What was impressive is that he toured the world to fight. Not for him the comfortable Venezuelan heat to start his career but off to France, Japan, Panama and the USA. He went where he could fight and returned with victory each and every time. It also included a World Title eliminator so he was being presented with the opponents rather than picking his way through them!
Two fights on and he fought against what may be described as a decent opponent – Vicente Mosquera for the WBC Super Featherweight title. Valero knocked Mosquera down twice in the 1st round only to suffer the indignity of hitting the canvas himself in the 3rd. It might have been the shock of getting to the 3rd round for the first time in his career! Valero got up and took the title in the 10th.
World Super Featherweight Champion with a 100% record he defended it four times before moving to Light weight and taking on Antonio Pitalua, knocking him down three times in round 2 and taking the title by way of TKO in the same round.
Valero had two more fights to defend his new title and they were decent opponents – Hector Velazquez and Antonio DeMarco. Both retired and Valero seemed destined to greater and bigger things.
There could have been further titles at other weights surely?
Then life intervened. Boxing attracts people who have had hard and difficult lifestyles and backgrounds. At times that past can catch up with them and their life skids and crashes. For some that can be a temporary set back. For Valero it was permanent.
What would he have given us had he lived?
Current WBC Lightweight Champion, Humberto Soto would have never have got the title had Valero lived and there are few that would argue he has the pedigree to have challenged Valero seriously.
Looking down the list there are two names that spring out that would probably have given Valero a real fight – Juan Manuel Marquez and Miguel Vazquez.
Either of these fighters would have pushed Valero and we could have had a lot to write about had El Nino run out of wind against either of them. Marquez has recovered from his loss to Floyd Mayweather with two decent victories against Michael Katsidis and Juan Diaz. Vazquez has held the IBF version of the title for a short time but with wins against Breidis Prescott who beat Amir Khan and Ricardo Dominquez to retain his title it would have been a decent match.
If those two don’t wet the appetite for a heavenly fight then the fantasy contests of Amir Khan, Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather, JR., in the ring against Valero would have been a PPV sell out – if such a thing was possible! That would presuppose Valero could have managed to beat his demons and continued his form. None of that is predictable, as indeed his life was far from predictable.
That the WBC wept so openly tells its own story and we lost a highly impressive boxer. Unfortunately we may remember him for reasons other than the fights he had in a ring.
That is the worst possible epitaph for any fighter.