By Geno McGahee

It is hard to believe that the WBC Lightweight Champion, Edwin Valero, is involved in a murder-suicide, where his wife would die from multiple stab wounds, and he would later hang himself in his prison cell the very next day.  The world champion was right at the verge of stardom, featured on Showtime, defeating Antonio DeMarco by impressive TKO. 

Valero had the impressive record of 27-0, 27 KO’s, but more impressive was just how quickly he would beat his opposition.  Out of those 27 victories, 19 of them were first round knockouts.  When he stepped up in competition, he would show his versatility, and an underrated defense, slowly beating them until they collapsed.  He had all the tools to be the next big thing in boxing and there was a lot of talk of a bout with Manny Pacquiao in the near future.

One of the biggest hurdles to overcome was a brain injury he received in 2001 after a motorcycle accident.  He was eventually cleared to fight in 2002, but this would haunt his career.  He would fail an MRI when he was set to make his American television debut on HBO’s Boxing After Dark, and could not get licensed in any state.  His legend would build though, through the power of the Internet.

Boxing fans would hear the news of a lightweight with a heavyweight punch, blitzing his opponents in the first round.  It brought them to Youtube where many of Valero’s examples of destruction were on display and the comparison would be automatically made to the Filipino superstar, Manny Pacquiao.  A showdown between the two would be too big for any MRI to prevent and in 2008, Valero was licensed to fight in Texas, in his victory over DeMarco.

The next opponent on the agenda was to be light welterweight, Lamont Peterson, a move closer to a showdown with Manny Pacquiao, the current welterweight kingpin.  Valero had been compared so much to Manny because of his southpaw stance, gutsy and powerful style, and ability to draw a crowd.  A match between them would have been like two freight trains on a collision course.  It is a boxing promoter’s dream and it was on the verge of becoming a reality. 

Edwin Valero would state that he only wanted “big fights” and mentioned Juan Diaz and Juan Manuel Marquez.  He would challenge Pacquiao through the press, stating that he would not require steroid testing and that he didn’t care how he got the bout, as long as he got it.  Any challenge to Pacquiao will get the boxing world turning their heads but when the challenge came from Valero, the boxing world paused.   It was another great challenge to Manny as he winds down his career, and Valero’s punching power and timing would certainly make an interesting fight.

In September 2009, Valero reportedly attacked both his mother and his wife, leading to an arrest for assault.  Valero would deny the allegations and his mother would come forward and state that it did not happen.

On March 29th, Yennifer Carolina, the wife of Edwin, was admitted into the hospital with bruises and a broken rib that punctured her lung.  She would claim that she fell down the stairs.  In the past, she had been brought to the hospital for other similar injuries.  Valero would create a ruckus at the hospital, threatening the medical staff forcing them to call the police.  He would admit that he was an alcoholic and was sentenced to rehab for six months.

On April 1st, it was announced that Valero would be released from rehab and not serve the six months, with the reason being that the process of detoxification doesn’t take that long.  The main purpose behind the early release was to capitalize on his boxing career and get him back into the ring where there was a lot of money to be made.

On April 10th, Valero was involved in a drunken hit and run accident.  He agreed to pay for the damages and to continue fighting his problems with alcohol and drugs.  Valero was self destructing.

It was on April 18th that the shocking news hit the boxing world.  Edwin Valero murdered his wife, stabbing her to death.  The long history of domestic abuse and the recent spree of criminal behavior should have been a signal that there was something very wrong with the champion.  This case is a great example of the problem with wife beaters.  Despite the ongoing domestic abuse, Yennifer never filed charges…never made him pay for the beatings.  Tragically, this was the next step and what many thought to be the future of boxing disappeared and a life was lost.  Valero would admit guilt in the murder.

The next day, April 19th, Valero would commit suicide, hanging himself in his cell with his clothing. 

Boxing has been dealt with several blows as of late, tragic deaths that have rattled the sports world.  Arturo Gatti reportedly committed suicide, and so too did Alexis Arguello, and now Edwin Valero has taken his own life as well, but the true tragedy here is the loss of his wife and the people around Edwin not reading the signs and just looking at the money to be made from his boxing career.

Edwin Valero will go down in history as a tragedy…a force in boxing  that could have been one of the greats and done some fantastic things, but instead, his legacy is that of a murderer, an abuser of women, and a coward.  Despite the loss for boxing fans, the human race is better without this menace.

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