ESPNStar.com
Edwin Valero found fleeting fame as one of the most concussive punchers of his generation.
He won every one of his 27 fights inside the distance, but he failed to land a knockout blow on the demons that raged inside his head.
Valero, who committed suicide in a police cell in Venezuela this week where he was being detained after reportedly admitting to murdering his wife, took with him a perfect record and any number of burning question marks.
Many fighters fail to live up to their billed potential, either failing to impress at all or else seeing their star shine all too briefly on the grandest stage, victims either of over-hype or personal chaos which affects their ability to fight.
Few, however, exit the sport having neither burnt out nor faded away. Valero was one of those few, his death bringing an abrupt end to a career which will now be the endless topic of debate: a slew of wins asterisked with what-might-have-been.
Valero's escalating private life and violent demise have been documented elsewhere, as has his fight to overturn a ban on fighting in the US, which he put down to conspiracy due to his affection for Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.
There was talk that Valero was being lined up for a showdown with Manny Pacquiao, and plenty who saw the man fight believe outside Floyd Mayweather there was nobody better equipped to defeat the Filipino.
That is now conjecture. What is a fact is that Valero's demise has deprived the sport of one its more intriguing showdowns, just as similarly sorry circumstances have turned the lights out on the careers of others before him.
The question marks burn just as bright over Ike Ibeabuchi, the Nigerian heavyweight who emerged as his division's potential saviour in the meltdown of the post-Mike Tyson era, only for his wild lifestyle to catch up with him.
Ibeabuchi handed a beating to then unbeaten fellow contender David Tua in 1997 to take his unbeaten record to 16 fights. In 1999, he scored a crushing knockout win over Chris Byrd, who would go on to win the IBF world title.
Ibeabuchi's life was already unravelling. Having previously been imprisoned for injuring the son of a former girlfriend, he was then jailed in 2001 for battery and attempted sexual assault following an incident with a lap-dancer in his hotel room.
Ibeabuchi has been denied parole three times and does not become eligible again until 2012, by which time he will be 39 years old. He will most likely be deported to Nigeria with no chance to resume his boxing career.
Perhaps the most notorious case of squandered boxing talent involves former middleweight star Tony Ayala. The brutal, aggressive Ayala moved to the brink of a world title fight against Davey Moore in 1983.
Aged 19, Ayala was being described by many good judges as one of the most promising fighters in the sport. But he never got to fight Moore. He was found guilty of a brutal sexual assault on a neighbour and sentenced to 35 years in prison.
Ayala was released in 1999 and made a return to boxing, winning six fights all by knockout until he lost to Yory Boy Campas. In 2004, after a series of new brushes with the law, he was returned to prison for another 10-year term.
All the above only have themselves to blame for their failures to leave a lasting legacy of greatness on their sport. The same cannot be said for Salvador Sanchez, whose career was cut short through no fault of his own.
To some extent, Argentinian featherweight Sanchez fulfilled expectations. He won 44 of his 46 fights and defended his world title over great names like Juan Laporte, Wilfredo Gomes and Azumah Nelson.
But such was Sanchez's ability that after he died in a car accident in his homeland at the age of 23, the sport of boxing felt it had lost a fighter who might one day have been mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Ali, Robinson and Pep.
Unfortunately, Valero will never be afforded such acclaim. His fleeting, explosive career will be overshadowed by the manner of his demise. His is another of those burning question marks that will never find an answer.
Source: espnstar.com
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Kamis, 22 April 2010
Boxing must learn from Valero case -- ESPN
By Diego Morilla, ESPNdeportes.com
There are telltale signs in the life of a fighter that should not go unnoticed.
When lawsuits begin to accumulate as easily as knockout victories, when a fighter's headlines can be equally divided between the sports and police sections, when every fight is preceded by a laundry list of legal run-ins -- that's when things can take a turn for the worse, when the steering wheel starts to veer toward the curb and a crash is imminent.
Edwin Valero, who died Monday in a jail cell in Caracas, Venezuela, knew all this. He had hit that curb more than once, sometimes literally. The former Central and South American amateur champion had amassed an 11-0 record (all by first-round KO) when a routine MRI revealed a small blood clot on his brain, the result of a motorcycle accident that occurred years earlier -- a condition that initially kept him from being sanctioned to fight in the United States.) One of his last legal problems was a DUI charge that was still pending trial. Fast cars and lots of booze in the life of a boxer? Nothing new.
But Valero had other demons, as well.
The left-handed Venezuelan power puncher was driven by urges he seemed unable to control. His boxing style serves as an example: Valero couldn't settle for simply defeating his opponents. He had to overpower them, overwhelm them, attack them with blazing combinations loaded with explosive power from all angles, to the point of neglecting his own defense (arms low, mouth open, eyes popping out of their sockets, high-pitched screams with every punch). The fury in his expressions was the fuel for his successes -- but was also at the heart of his failures, including his tragic demise.
Valero's appetite for excess was prodigious, and his struggles with substance abuse (and depression) came to be common knowledge. His troubles ranged from denied visas and pending jail sentences to DUI charges and allegations of having punched or threatened to punch multiple family members. (Valero's mother and sister were among the victims of his rage, according to a report.) After being charged with harassing his wife, Jennifer Carolina Viera, last month, Valero was arrested Sunday when, local police said, she was found dead in a hotel room where the couple had been staying. On Monday, Valero hanged himself in his jail cell, according to police.
As tumultuous as Valero's personal life was, his career was equally vertiginous. After being denied a boxing license to fight in the States, Valero became a traveling act, and his services were rendered all over the world. He traveled to Panama, Japan, France, Mexico and Argentina, putting his all-out style to work toward one purpose only: the destruction of his rivals, with the intent of leaving an indelible mark in the minds of his growing number of fans.
Watching Valero fight was a task in itself. He quickly became boxing's first Internet legend, a cult hero among hard-core fight fans. The KO artist who was barred from fighting in Las Vegas and New York, the fighter with the power to crush his opponents with frightening ease, became the subject of countless forums and chat sessions. The underground peer-to-peer live broadcasting websites that thrive today overflowed with fans from all over the world. It wasn't unusual for 20,000 fans to connect to a single site to watch Valero fight.
His successes quickly mounted. Valero became the WBA champ in the 130-pound division with a TKO victory in the 10th round against Vicente Mosquera in his 20th fight. Before that, he had completed fewer than 20 rounds of action in his previous 19 fights. His 18 first-round KOs were a world record until Tyrone Brunson broke it in 2008, and Valero's 19th fight marked the first time he heard the bell more than once during a fight in his professional career. That's what the fighter known as "El Inca" brought to the ring -- an explosive style that would later earn him a more fitting moniker that needs no translation: Dinamita.
At this point, Valero's potential was huge, and everything suggested he would have an extraordinary career. His style was captivating: speed, numbing punching power and the controversial personal background that helps capture the attention of casual fans. The controversy was even stronger in Valero's own country, which was divided between admirers of his boxing achievements and those who dismissed him as a drunken, irresponsible wife-beater. And none of this took into account the fighter's inflammatory politics.
Valero was an ardent supporter of Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, going so far as to get the face of "El Comandante" and the Venezuelan flag tattooed across his chest. Valero's politics follow him after his death. A few hours from the celebration of Venezuela's bicentennial, the news of Valero's suicide caused a huge national commotion -- a division between those who lamented the gifted fighter and those who used the tragedy to attack Chávez's self-styled "Bolivarian" project. The president has been accused of pampering Valero, putting him above justice by allowing (and even arranging) for his unlawful release from jail (on previous charges of assault and battery on his now deceased wife).
The fight on this front -- part of an ongoing battle between two completely opposed political ideologies -- has begun already. Both sides threaten to attack or defend the figure of the fallen fighter to unthinkable extremes. There are even rumors of an Elvis-like fake-death scheme that probably will feed the tabloids for years with bogus pictures of Valero pumping gas at an undisclosed location somewhere south of the Rio Grande.
One of the most serious controversies this episode should generate, though -- one that must be discussed in a far broader environment -- is the relationship between fighters and the women in their lives. Although there is no statistical evidence to confirm higher levels of domestic violence among boxers as compared with the rest of the population, recent incidents suggest a problem that deserves more detailed analysis.
Valero's case is just one of many instances in which an ambitious and talented athlete is drowned in a downpour of advice regarding how to improve his skills in the ring, how to become more violent and vicious, how to make (and spend) more money -- but finds himself left hung out to dry when in need of more profound life lessons. As a result, fighters often are left unassisted in finding ways to solve personal issues without using the same methods that brought them success in the ring.
Today, boxing fans struggle with the mixed emotions of an unexpected loss and the way in which it occurred. Without overlooking Valero's controversial and violent nature outside the ring, we can lament the loss of an extraordinary boxing specimen. As a top fighter in the most lucrative and attractive divisions of this era (lightweight and welterweight), he might have engaged in very attractive fights with such champions as Floyd Mayweather Jr., Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito, Marcos Maidana, Miguel Cotto and even Manny Pacquiao (a fight that had legions of fight fans holding their breath), with chances to win many of those contests and earn much more than a plaque in the Hall of Fame.
Instead, Valero's name -- forever stained -- will always bear a question mark next to it. And as long as we refuse to acknowledge it and fail to make the effort to find answers and solutions, the possibility of a new and similar tragedy will continue to cast its shadow upon the world of boxing.
Diego Morilla is a contributor to ESPN Deportes.
Source: sports.espn.go.com
There are telltale signs in the life of a fighter that should not go unnoticed.
When lawsuits begin to accumulate as easily as knockout victories, when a fighter's headlines can be equally divided between the sports and police sections, when every fight is preceded by a laundry list of legal run-ins -- that's when things can take a turn for the worse, when the steering wheel starts to veer toward the curb and a crash is imminent.
Edwin Valero, who died Monday in a jail cell in Caracas, Venezuela, knew all this. He had hit that curb more than once, sometimes literally. The former Central and South American amateur champion had amassed an 11-0 record (all by first-round KO) when a routine MRI revealed a small blood clot on his brain, the result of a motorcycle accident that occurred years earlier -- a condition that initially kept him from being sanctioned to fight in the United States.) One of his last legal problems was a DUI charge that was still pending trial. Fast cars and lots of booze in the life of a boxer? Nothing new.
But Valero had other demons, as well.
The left-handed Venezuelan power puncher was driven by urges he seemed unable to control. His boxing style serves as an example: Valero couldn't settle for simply defeating his opponents. He had to overpower them, overwhelm them, attack them with blazing combinations loaded with explosive power from all angles, to the point of neglecting his own defense (arms low, mouth open, eyes popping out of their sockets, high-pitched screams with every punch). The fury in his expressions was the fuel for his successes -- but was also at the heart of his failures, including his tragic demise.
Valero's appetite for excess was prodigious, and his struggles with substance abuse (and depression) came to be common knowledge. His troubles ranged from denied visas and pending jail sentences to DUI charges and allegations of having punched or threatened to punch multiple family members. (Valero's mother and sister were among the victims of his rage, according to a report.) After being charged with harassing his wife, Jennifer Carolina Viera, last month, Valero was arrested Sunday when, local police said, she was found dead in a hotel room where the couple had been staying. On Monday, Valero hanged himself in his jail cell, according to police.
As tumultuous as Valero's personal life was, his career was equally vertiginous. After being denied a boxing license to fight in the States, Valero became a traveling act, and his services were rendered all over the world. He traveled to Panama, Japan, France, Mexico and Argentina, putting his all-out style to work toward one purpose only: the destruction of his rivals, with the intent of leaving an indelible mark in the minds of his growing number of fans.
Watching Valero fight was a task in itself. He quickly became boxing's first Internet legend, a cult hero among hard-core fight fans. The KO artist who was barred from fighting in Las Vegas and New York, the fighter with the power to crush his opponents with frightening ease, became the subject of countless forums and chat sessions. The underground peer-to-peer live broadcasting websites that thrive today overflowed with fans from all over the world. It wasn't unusual for 20,000 fans to connect to a single site to watch Valero fight.
His successes quickly mounted. Valero became the WBA champ in the 130-pound division with a TKO victory in the 10th round against Vicente Mosquera in his 20th fight. Before that, he had completed fewer than 20 rounds of action in his previous 19 fights. His 18 first-round KOs were a world record until Tyrone Brunson broke it in 2008, and Valero's 19th fight marked the first time he heard the bell more than once during a fight in his professional career. That's what the fighter known as "El Inca" brought to the ring -- an explosive style that would later earn him a more fitting moniker that needs no translation: Dinamita.
At this point, Valero's potential was huge, and everything suggested he would have an extraordinary career. His style was captivating: speed, numbing punching power and the controversial personal background that helps capture the attention of casual fans. The controversy was even stronger in Valero's own country, which was divided between admirers of his boxing achievements and those who dismissed him as a drunken, irresponsible wife-beater. And none of this took into account the fighter's inflammatory politics.
Valero was an ardent supporter of Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, going so far as to get the face of "El Comandante" and the Venezuelan flag tattooed across his chest. Valero's politics follow him after his death. A few hours from the celebration of Venezuela's bicentennial, the news of Valero's suicide caused a huge national commotion -- a division between those who lamented the gifted fighter and those who used the tragedy to attack Chávez's self-styled "Bolivarian" project. The president has been accused of pampering Valero, putting him above justice by allowing (and even arranging) for his unlawful release from jail (on previous charges of assault and battery on his now deceased wife).
The fight on this front -- part of an ongoing battle between two completely opposed political ideologies -- has begun already. Both sides threaten to attack or defend the figure of the fallen fighter to unthinkable extremes. There are even rumors of an Elvis-like fake-death scheme that probably will feed the tabloids for years with bogus pictures of Valero pumping gas at an undisclosed location somewhere south of the Rio Grande.
One of the most serious controversies this episode should generate, though -- one that must be discussed in a far broader environment -- is the relationship between fighters and the women in their lives. Although there is no statistical evidence to confirm higher levels of domestic violence among boxers as compared with the rest of the population, recent incidents suggest a problem that deserves more detailed analysis.
Valero's case is just one of many instances in which an ambitious and talented athlete is drowned in a downpour of advice regarding how to improve his skills in the ring, how to become more violent and vicious, how to make (and spend) more money -- but finds himself left hung out to dry when in need of more profound life lessons. As a result, fighters often are left unassisted in finding ways to solve personal issues without using the same methods that brought them success in the ring.
Today, boxing fans struggle with the mixed emotions of an unexpected loss and the way in which it occurred. Without overlooking Valero's controversial and violent nature outside the ring, we can lament the loss of an extraordinary boxing specimen. As a top fighter in the most lucrative and attractive divisions of this era (lightweight and welterweight), he might have engaged in very attractive fights with such champions as Floyd Mayweather Jr., Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito, Marcos Maidana, Miguel Cotto and even Manny Pacquiao (a fight that had legions of fight fans holding their breath), with chances to win many of those contests and earn much more than a plaque in the Hall of Fame.
Instead, Valero's name -- forever stained -- will always bear a question mark next to it. And as long as we refuse to acknowledge it and fail to make the effort to find answers and solutions, the possibility of a new and similar tragedy will continue to cast its shadow upon the world of boxing.
Diego Morilla is a contributor to ESPN Deportes.
Source: sports.espn.go.com
Rabu, 21 April 2010
Fans bid farewell to boxer Valero -- Associated Press
By JORGE RUEDA, The Associated Press
EL VIGIA, Venezuela — Weeping relatives and fans gathered around the coffin of former boxing champion Edwin Valero on Wednesday, mourning the troubled fighter who killed himself after slaying his wife.
Hundreds in this small town in southwestern Venezuela attended the funeral Mass for a fighter who rose to international fame before quickly falling into disgrace. Many wiped tears from their faces during the ceremony. Fans, friends and family members later brought Valero's coffin to a gym where he once trained before his body was buried at a nearby cemetery.
Valero, famed for an impressive record of 27 straight knockouts and a huge tattoo of President Hugo Chavez on his chest, was arrested Sunday in the stabbing death of his 24-year-old wife. Police said the boxer hanged himself in his cell early Monday.
The killing, coupled with Valero's suicide, shocked many Venezuelans. Many have been asking what went wrong in his life and why authorities hadn't stepped in to protect his wife, Jennifer Carolina Viera, after numerous reports of domestic violence.
A boxer who was close to Valero, Jose Luis Varela, lamented that many of the fighter's friends didn't urge him to seek help to deal with what had become a serious drug and alcohol addiction.
"We didn't want to see that he had problems," Varela said.
During Wednesday's Mass, Priest Esteban Gudino told parishioners he hoped Valero "receives the mercy of our Lord."
"It's a tragedy for all of use when the life of a youngster ends like this," Gudino said from the church's pulpit. "Hopefully, this will serve others to emulate his positive side, and they'll distance themselves from drugs and alcohol."
The fighter's mother-in-law, Mary Finol, told reporters at her daughter's funeral Tuesday in El Vigia that Valero was addicted to cocaine and had grown increasingly violent before he was arrested for his wife's murder.
"We knew that he used cocaine beginning at 12 years of age," Finol said, adding that her daughter had told her that Valero "didn't sleep, didn't eat, got high everyday and was increasingly violent."
Valero's fans shouted "Champion! Champion!" from a caravan of motorcycles and cars that accompanied the hearse carrying the coffin, a Venezuelan flag draped over it.
Fellow boxer and friend, Joel Finol, broke down in tears. "It broke my heart to see him like that: dead," he said.
Venezuelan news reports since 2008 had repeatedly linked the former WBA super featherweight and WBC lightweight champion to domestic violence incidents, but the fighter and his supporters rejected those reports.
In September, Valero denied he had been detained on domestic violence charges after Venezuelan news reports said a neighbor called emergency services and told authorities the boxer had struck his mother and a sister.
Last month, Valero was charged with harassing his wife and threatening medical personnel who treated her at a hospital in the western city of Merida. Police arrested him following an argument with a doctor and nurse at the hospital, where his wife was being treated for injuries that included a punctured lung and broken ribs.
Valero was detained March 25 on suspicion of assaulting his wife, but his wife told a police officer her injuries were caused by a fall.
Valero's lawyer, Milda Mora, said that after that incident, the boxer was held for nine days in a psychiatric hospital, where he underwent police-supervised rehabilitation. She said people close to the fighter posted bail April 7 and he was allowed to go free.
Mora said the Venezuelan government had arranged for Valero to attend a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program in Cuba. He had missed a flight to Cuba and was scheduled to fly there soon, she said.
Valero and his wife left behind two children, ages 9 and 5, who have been taken in by the boxer's sister. A local court has to decide whether the orphans will remain in her custody or live with their maternal grandmother, according to the Venezuelan television channel Globovision.
Valero had fought mainly in Japan and Latin America because he had trouble obtaining a license to fight in the United States. He suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in a motorcycle crash in 2001 and most jurisdictions had refused to grant a license to a fighter who had sustained a brain injury.
As a result of that accident, Valero had a metal plate inserted in his head. Venezuelan newspaper editor Teodoro Petkoff asked in an editorial published on Wednesday in the newspaper Tal Cual: "Can anyone be sure that his final emotional explosions didn't have anything to do with the damage his brain suffered?"
Petkoff said the justice system was unwilling to take action against a government supporter. "A politicized, submissive justice system killed Edwin Valero and his wife," Petkoff wrote.
The fighter's last victory in Mexico was in February over Antonio DeMarco. Valero was replaced as WBC lightweight champion in February after he expressed a desire to compete in a higher weight division.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Source: google.com
EL VIGIA, Venezuela — Weeping relatives and fans gathered around the coffin of former boxing champion Edwin Valero on Wednesday, mourning the troubled fighter who killed himself after slaying his wife.
Hundreds in this small town in southwestern Venezuela attended the funeral Mass for a fighter who rose to international fame before quickly falling into disgrace. Many wiped tears from their faces during the ceremony. Fans, friends and family members later brought Valero's coffin to a gym where he once trained before his body was buried at a nearby cemetery.
Valero, famed for an impressive record of 27 straight knockouts and a huge tattoo of President Hugo Chavez on his chest, was arrested Sunday in the stabbing death of his 24-year-old wife. Police said the boxer hanged himself in his cell early Monday.
The killing, coupled with Valero's suicide, shocked many Venezuelans. Many have been asking what went wrong in his life and why authorities hadn't stepped in to protect his wife, Jennifer Carolina Viera, after numerous reports of domestic violence.
A boxer who was close to Valero, Jose Luis Varela, lamented that many of the fighter's friends didn't urge him to seek help to deal with what had become a serious drug and alcohol addiction.
"We didn't want to see that he had problems," Varela said.
During Wednesday's Mass, Priest Esteban Gudino told parishioners he hoped Valero "receives the mercy of our Lord."
"It's a tragedy for all of use when the life of a youngster ends like this," Gudino said from the church's pulpit. "Hopefully, this will serve others to emulate his positive side, and they'll distance themselves from drugs and alcohol."
The fighter's mother-in-law, Mary Finol, told reporters at her daughter's funeral Tuesday in El Vigia that Valero was addicted to cocaine and had grown increasingly violent before he was arrested for his wife's murder.
"We knew that he used cocaine beginning at 12 years of age," Finol said, adding that her daughter had told her that Valero "didn't sleep, didn't eat, got high everyday and was increasingly violent."
Valero's fans shouted "Champion! Champion!" from a caravan of motorcycles and cars that accompanied the hearse carrying the coffin, a Venezuelan flag draped over it.
Fellow boxer and friend, Joel Finol, broke down in tears. "It broke my heart to see him like that: dead," he said.
Venezuelan news reports since 2008 had repeatedly linked the former WBA super featherweight and WBC lightweight champion to domestic violence incidents, but the fighter and his supporters rejected those reports.
In September, Valero denied he had been detained on domestic violence charges after Venezuelan news reports said a neighbor called emergency services and told authorities the boxer had struck his mother and a sister.
Last month, Valero was charged with harassing his wife and threatening medical personnel who treated her at a hospital in the western city of Merida. Police arrested him following an argument with a doctor and nurse at the hospital, where his wife was being treated for injuries that included a punctured lung and broken ribs.
Valero was detained March 25 on suspicion of assaulting his wife, but his wife told a police officer her injuries were caused by a fall.
Valero's lawyer, Milda Mora, said that after that incident, the boxer was held for nine days in a psychiatric hospital, where he underwent police-supervised rehabilitation. She said people close to the fighter posted bail April 7 and he was allowed to go free.
Mora said the Venezuelan government had arranged for Valero to attend a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program in Cuba. He had missed a flight to Cuba and was scheduled to fly there soon, she said.
Valero and his wife left behind two children, ages 9 and 5, who have been taken in by the boxer's sister. A local court has to decide whether the orphans will remain in her custody or live with their maternal grandmother, according to the Venezuelan television channel Globovision.
Valero had fought mainly in Japan and Latin America because he had trouble obtaining a license to fight in the United States. He suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in a motorcycle crash in 2001 and most jurisdictions had refused to grant a license to a fighter who had sustained a brain injury.
As a result of that accident, Valero had a metal plate inserted in his head. Venezuelan newspaper editor Teodoro Petkoff asked in an editorial published on Wednesday in the newspaper Tal Cual: "Can anyone be sure that his final emotional explosions didn't have anything to do with the damage his brain suffered?"
Petkoff said the justice system was unwilling to take action against a government supporter. "A politicized, submissive justice system killed Edwin Valero and his wife," Petkoff wrote.
The fighter's last victory in Mexico was in February over Antonio DeMarco. Valero was replaced as WBC lightweight champion in February after he expressed a desire to compete in a higher weight division.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Source: google.com
Valero buried amid questions over drug and alcohol abuse -- Yahoo! Sports
By Reuters
EL VIGIA, Venezuela, April 21 (Reuters) - Venezuelan boxer Edwin Valero, who committed suicide on Monday in a jail where he was held for killing his wife, was buried on Wednesday as details emerged of the troubled fighter's history of drug and alcohol abuse.
A coffin bearing Valero's remains was driven to his birth place Vigia in Venezuela's Andean foothills, where hundreds of fans crammed into the Morochito Rodriguez gym where the boxer began his career.
The 28-year-old, nicknamed "The Inca", was charged on Sunday with stabbing his wife Jennifer Carolina Viera de Valero to death in a hotel room in the city of Valencia.
He hung himself in jail with his clothes after confessing to her murder, police said.
Valero was laid to rest in the same cemetery his 24-year-old wife was buried a day earlier and where her relatives had accused authorities of ignoring a pattern of domestic abuse.
"The only thing we ask for is justice, the death of my daughter cannot stay like this," her father, Armando Viera, said on Tuesday by his daughter's grave some distance from the boxer's.
"Her mother and I repeatedly told the security forces ... about the Inca's abuse of my daughter, and they never believed us, now this happens."
SEVERE POVERTY
Valero, the father of two children, had a troubled start to 2010, detained in March for mistreating his wife and then receiving treatment for alcohol problems.
His wife was taken to hospital earlier this year with fractured ribs and a damaged lung. She initially accused Valero of causing the injuries, but later changed her story to say she had fallen down some stairs.
A medical report ordered by police said the fighter, who stunned the boxing world with 27 KOs and held the World Boxing Council lightweight title until going for rehabilitation, had abused cocaine and alcohol and had psychiatric issues.
A high-profile supporter of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Valero had a national flag with an image of Chavez tattooed on hs chest.
He was briefly placed in a rehabilitation center and was due to travel to Cuba for a government-funded trip to recover from substance abuse, but the trip was delayed after he had a car crash.
Valero was being groomed to fight world welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao, promoter Bob Arum said this week.
Arum, who co-promoted the boxer's last two fights, had heard rumours of drug and alcohol troubles, but said he had never seen evidence of it himself.
His trainer Oscar Isnaurdy Ortega had never seen any signs of violence outside the ring, he told Reuters.
Born into severe poverty as the third of eight children, Valero had frequently slept in the gym as a teenager and went without food.
"He sold vegetables and garlic as a boy in the Railway Plaza of Vigia, then he worked in a bicycle store," Ortega said. (Writing by Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Ian Ransom)
Source: nz.sports.yahoo.com
EL VIGIA, Venezuela, April 21 (Reuters) - Venezuelan boxer Edwin Valero, who committed suicide on Monday in a jail where he was held for killing his wife, was buried on Wednesday as details emerged of the troubled fighter's history of drug and alcohol abuse.
A coffin bearing Valero's remains was driven to his birth place Vigia in Venezuela's Andean foothills, where hundreds of fans crammed into the Morochito Rodriguez gym where the boxer began his career.
The 28-year-old, nicknamed "The Inca", was charged on Sunday with stabbing his wife Jennifer Carolina Viera de Valero to death in a hotel room in the city of Valencia.
He hung himself in jail with his clothes after confessing to her murder, police said.
Valero was laid to rest in the same cemetery his 24-year-old wife was buried a day earlier and where her relatives had accused authorities of ignoring a pattern of domestic abuse.
"The only thing we ask for is justice, the death of my daughter cannot stay like this," her father, Armando Viera, said on Tuesday by his daughter's grave some distance from the boxer's.
"Her mother and I repeatedly told the security forces ... about the Inca's abuse of my daughter, and they never believed us, now this happens."
SEVERE POVERTY
Valero, the father of two children, had a troubled start to 2010, detained in March for mistreating his wife and then receiving treatment for alcohol problems.
His wife was taken to hospital earlier this year with fractured ribs and a damaged lung. She initially accused Valero of causing the injuries, but later changed her story to say she had fallen down some stairs.
A medical report ordered by police said the fighter, who stunned the boxing world with 27 KOs and held the World Boxing Council lightweight title until going for rehabilitation, had abused cocaine and alcohol and had psychiatric issues.
A high-profile supporter of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Valero had a national flag with an image of Chavez tattooed on hs chest.
He was briefly placed in a rehabilitation center and was due to travel to Cuba for a government-funded trip to recover from substance abuse, but the trip was delayed after he had a car crash.
Valero was being groomed to fight world welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao, promoter Bob Arum said this week.
Arum, who co-promoted the boxer's last two fights, had heard rumours of drug and alcohol troubles, but said he had never seen evidence of it himself.
His trainer Oscar Isnaurdy Ortega had never seen any signs of violence outside the ring, he told Reuters.
Born into severe poverty as the third of eight children, Valero had frequently slept in the gym as a teenager and went without food.
"He sold vegetables and garlic as a boy in the Railway Plaza of Vigia, then he worked in a bicycle store," Ortega said. (Writing by Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Ian Ransom)
Source: nz.sports.yahoo.com
Selasa, 20 April 2010
Boxer's deaths leaves questions in Venezuela -- Associated Press
By JORGE RUEDA, The Associated Press
CARACAS, Venezuela — The mother-in-law of former boxing champion Edwin Valero said Tuesday that the fighter was addicted to cocaine and had grown increasingly violent recently before he was arrested in his wife's murder and hanged himself in a Venezuelan jail.
The fighter's wife, Jennifer Carolina Viera, had told her family that Valero "didn't sleep, he didn't eat, he used drugs every day and he was growing more violent all the time," Mary Finol told reporters at her daughter's funeral in El Vigia in western Venezuela.
Valero, who gained fame with a record of 27 straight knockouts and a huge tattoo of President Hugo Chavez on his chest, was arrested Sunday in the stabbing death of his 24-year-old wife. Police said the former lightweight champion hanged himself in his cell early Monday.
Venezuelans — both those who knew the fighter and those who watched his spectacular career from afar — have been asking what went wrong in the fighter's life and why authorities hadn't stepped in to halt the domestic violence despite past incidents.
Venezuelan former WBA super featherweight champion Jorge Linares said the case has been "a hard blow for the sport, for those of us who appreciated him ... and for all Venezuelans."
"What's important is that we learn a lesson," Linares said. "We admired him as an athlete, but we never did anything to help him with his problems. We could have started by making public his problems and not hiding anything."
Valero's funeral was scheduled for Wednesday.
The former WBA super featherweight and WBC lightweight champion had a turbulent disposition and had been in trouble with the law before, both for violent outbursts and problems with alcohol and drugs.
Since 2008, Venezuelan news reports had repeatedly linked Valero to domestic violence incidents, but the fighter and his supporters denied those reports. And until recently the authorities had not commented publicly on such cases.
"We all looked away not to admit what was going on," the boxer's manager Jose Castillo told reporters on Monday. He said the authorities also "were very permissive with him and because of that we're now in the middle of this tragedy."
In September, Valero denied that he was detained on domestic violence charges after Venezuelan news reports that a neighbor called emergency services and told authorities the boxer had struck his mother and a sister.
Five months earlier, in circumstances that were never clarified by the authorities, Viera was treated at a hospital for a gunshot wound to her left leg. The authorities said at the time that she was thought to have been shot outside her house by an unknown attacker on a motorcycle.
Last month, Valero was charged with harassing his wife and threatening medical personnel who treated her at a hospital in the western city of Merida. Police arrested Valero following an argument with a doctor and nurse at the hospital, where his wife was being treated for injuries including a punctured lung and broken ribs.
The Attorney General's Office said in a statement that Valero was detained March 25 on suspicion of assaulting his wife, but his wife told a police officer her injuries were due to a fall.
Valero's lawyer, Milda Mora, said that after the incident the boxer was held for nine days in a psychiatric hospital in Merida, where he underwent police-supervised rehabilitation. She said people close to the fighter posted bail on April 7 and he was allowed to go free.
"The court put him in rehab for six months and somehow he got out in a weekend," said his promoter Bob Arum, the founder of Top Rank. "I never talked to him during this period, I only talked to his manager. They were trying to get him to come to Mexico, to start training and cleaning himself up."
"It's obvious now, in retrospect, that he should have been institutionalized during this period, but it's silly to play the blame game," Arum said.
Mora said the Venezuelan government had also arranged for Valero to attend a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program in Cuba. He had missed a flight to Cuba earlier this month and was scheduled to fly there soon, she said.
Valero grew up in poverty, the third of eight brothers, and he started boxing at age 12.
Finol said that he started using cocaine around the same time and that he "lived constantly in the streets, with bad groups." She said he didn't finish school, and sold fruit to make a living while drinking liquor from a young age.
Mora also said he struggled with depression.
The fighter had a stellar 27-0 record, all of them knockouts, and had his last victory in Mexico in February over Antonio DeMarco.
Valero was replaced as WBC lightweight champion in February after he expressed a desire to compete in a higher weight division.
AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta in New York and Associated Press Writer Fabiola Sanchez in Caracas contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Source: google.com
CARACAS, Venezuela — The mother-in-law of former boxing champion Edwin Valero said Tuesday that the fighter was addicted to cocaine and had grown increasingly violent recently before he was arrested in his wife's murder and hanged himself in a Venezuelan jail.
The fighter's wife, Jennifer Carolina Viera, had told her family that Valero "didn't sleep, he didn't eat, he used drugs every day and he was growing more violent all the time," Mary Finol told reporters at her daughter's funeral in El Vigia in western Venezuela.
Valero, who gained fame with a record of 27 straight knockouts and a huge tattoo of President Hugo Chavez on his chest, was arrested Sunday in the stabbing death of his 24-year-old wife. Police said the former lightweight champion hanged himself in his cell early Monday.
Venezuelans — both those who knew the fighter and those who watched his spectacular career from afar — have been asking what went wrong in the fighter's life and why authorities hadn't stepped in to halt the domestic violence despite past incidents.
Venezuelan former WBA super featherweight champion Jorge Linares said the case has been "a hard blow for the sport, for those of us who appreciated him ... and for all Venezuelans."
"What's important is that we learn a lesson," Linares said. "We admired him as an athlete, but we never did anything to help him with his problems. We could have started by making public his problems and not hiding anything."
Valero's funeral was scheduled for Wednesday.
The former WBA super featherweight and WBC lightweight champion had a turbulent disposition and had been in trouble with the law before, both for violent outbursts and problems with alcohol and drugs.
Since 2008, Venezuelan news reports had repeatedly linked Valero to domestic violence incidents, but the fighter and his supporters denied those reports. And until recently the authorities had not commented publicly on such cases.
"We all looked away not to admit what was going on," the boxer's manager Jose Castillo told reporters on Monday. He said the authorities also "were very permissive with him and because of that we're now in the middle of this tragedy."
In September, Valero denied that he was detained on domestic violence charges after Venezuelan news reports that a neighbor called emergency services and told authorities the boxer had struck his mother and a sister.
Five months earlier, in circumstances that were never clarified by the authorities, Viera was treated at a hospital for a gunshot wound to her left leg. The authorities said at the time that she was thought to have been shot outside her house by an unknown attacker on a motorcycle.
Last month, Valero was charged with harassing his wife and threatening medical personnel who treated her at a hospital in the western city of Merida. Police arrested Valero following an argument with a doctor and nurse at the hospital, where his wife was being treated for injuries including a punctured lung and broken ribs.
The Attorney General's Office said in a statement that Valero was detained March 25 on suspicion of assaulting his wife, but his wife told a police officer her injuries were due to a fall.
Valero's lawyer, Milda Mora, said that after the incident the boxer was held for nine days in a psychiatric hospital in Merida, where he underwent police-supervised rehabilitation. She said people close to the fighter posted bail on April 7 and he was allowed to go free.
"The court put him in rehab for six months and somehow he got out in a weekend," said his promoter Bob Arum, the founder of Top Rank. "I never talked to him during this period, I only talked to his manager. They were trying to get him to come to Mexico, to start training and cleaning himself up."
"It's obvious now, in retrospect, that he should have been institutionalized during this period, but it's silly to play the blame game," Arum said.
Mora said the Venezuelan government had also arranged for Valero to attend a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program in Cuba. He had missed a flight to Cuba earlier this month and was scheduled to fly there soon, she said.
Valero grew up in poverty, the third of eight brothers, and he started boxing at age 12.
Finol said that he started using cocaine around the same time and that he "lived constantly in the streets, with bad groups." She said he didn't finish school, and sold fruit to make a living while drinking liquor from a young age.
Mora also said he struggled with depression.
The fighter had a stellar 27-0 record, all of them knockouts, and had his last victory in Mexico in February over Antonio DeMarco.
Valero was replaced as WBC lightweight champion in February after he expressed a desire to compete in a higher weight division.
AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta in New York and Associated Press Writer Fabiola Sanchez in Caracas contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Source: google.com
Police say Valero hanged himself in cell -- ESPN
By The Associated Press
CARACAS, Venezuela -- Former boxing champion Edwin Valero, who had a spectacular career with 27 straight knockouts and flouted a tattoo of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on his chest, hanged himself in his jail cell Monday after being arrested in the fatal stabbing of his wife, police said.
The former lightweight champion used the sweat pants he was wearing to hang himself from a bar in the cell, said his lawyer, Milda Mora.
Valero, 28, had problems with alcohol and cocaine addiction and struggled with depression. He previously had been suspected of assaulting his wife, and was charged last month with harassing her and threatening personnel at a hospital where she was treated for injuries.
Valero's 24-year-old wife, Jennifer Carolina Viera, was found dead in a hotel room halfway across the country Sunday, and police said the fighter emerged from their room telling hotel security he had killed her.
Valero was found hanging in his cell early Monday by another inmate, who alerted authorities in the police lockup in north-central Carabobo state, Federal Police Chief Wilmer Flores told reporters. He said Valero still showed signs of life when they took him down, but they were unable to save him and he died about 1:30 a.m. ET.
The former WBA super featherweight and WBC lightweight champion was a household name in Venezuela, and had a huge image of Venezuela's president tattooed on his chest along with the country's yellow, blue and red flag.
A man whose fists carried him from poverty in a small town to fame, Valero's all-action style soon earned him a reputation as a tough, explosive crowd-pleaser. His last victory, in Mexico in February over Antonio DeMarco, brought his record to 27-0 -- all knockouts. Venezuelans called him "Inca," alluding to an Indian warrior, while elsewhere he was called "Dinamita," or dynamite.
Valero had a turbulent disposition and had been in trouble with the law before, for violent incidents and problems with alcohol and drugs.
Last month, he was charged with harassing his wife and threatening medical personnel who treated her at a hospital in the western city of Merida. Police arrested Valero following an argument with a doctor and nurse at the hospital, where his wife was being treated for injuries including a punctured lung and broken ribs.
The Attorney General's Office said in a statement that Valero was detained March 25 on suspicion of assaulting his wife, but his wife told a police officer her injuries were due to a fall. When the boxer arrived moments later, he forbade Viera from speaking to the police officer and spoke threateningly to the officer, prosecutors said in a statement.
A prosecutor had asked a court to keep Valero in jail, the Attorney General's Office said. But a judge instead allowed him to remain free under certain conditions, including that he appear in court every 90 days, said Mora, his lawyer.
Mora told The Associated Press that after the incident, Valero was held for nine days in a psychiatric hospital in Merida, where he underwent police-supervised rehabilitation. She said people close to the fighter posted bail on April 7 and he was allowed to go free.
Valero's manager, Jose Castillo, criticized authorities for failing to act more forcefully to prevent the killing.
"I asked the authorities not to let him out. He needed a lot of help. He was very bad in the head," Castillo told reporters. "But they let him out. They were very permissive with him, and because of that, we're now in the middle of this tragedy."
Mora, however, said of Valero: "He was the only one responsible."
She said the Venezuelan government had arranged for the fighter to attend a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program in Cuba. He had missed a flight to Cuba earlier this month and was scheduled to fly there soon, she said.
The fighter had police escorts who were charged with protecting him. But last week he slipped away from those escorts, leaving his house near Merida with his wife and saying they were headed into town, Mora said.
Valero stayed in touch with his manager by phone, but it was unclear how he and his wife turned up days later halfway across Venezuela at the hotel in Valencia, Mora said.
While police suspected Valero was battering his wife, "the only person who could report it was her, and she told her family that he never hit her," Mora said. "She wanted help for him."
Valero also "adored his wife," Mora said. "We were very close to him and we knew there could be this sort of outcome because when he became conscious of what he really had done, he wasn't going to be able to bear not being close to Carolina."
Mora described the fighter as hyperactive and said he suffered from depression. She said in jail the authorities took away his jacket and his shoelaces to prevent him from using them for a suicide attempt, and that he used his sweat pants instead.
Before his death, photographs showed Valero being led away in handcuffs, then shielding his face by pulling down his cap.
The fighter's 8-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter have been staying with their maternal grandmother, Mora said.
Valero had fought mainly in Japan and Latin America because he had trouble obtaining a license to fight in the United States. He suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in a motorcycle crash in 2001, and until the law was changed recently, most jurisdictions refused to grant a license to a fighter who had sustained a brain injury.
He also was charged with drunken driving in Texas, and despite efforts of his promoter, Top Rank, to secure a visa for him, the U.S. government denied his application because of the pending charges.
Valero claimed his application was denied because of politics; he was sympathetic of Chavez, a fierce critic of the U.S. government. U.S. officials say they cannot discuss individual visa cases.
Valero appeared as a special guest at events hosted by Chavez and was lionized by some of the president's supporters as a national hero, while some critics accused him of avoiding punishment for past problems due to his links to the government.
Valero's is the third high-profile suicide of a former boxing champion in the past year.
Hall of Famer Alexis Arguello, the mayor of Managua, Nicaragua, was found dead at his home in July of a gunshot wound to the chest. A few weeks later, Italian-born former super featherweight and junior welterweight champion Arturo Gatti, a naturalized Canadian, was found strangled in the Brazilian resort town of Porto de Galinhas. His wife was arrested as the prime suspect in the death, but authorities later ruled that he had committed suicide.
The World Boxing Council lamented Valero's death in a statement, saying he had "happy years" in boxing and that his record will go down in boxing history. The council also said it hopes to help create a fund to pay for the education of Valero's two children.
WBC president Jose Sulaiman has said Valero was replaced as WBC lightweight champion in February after he expressed a desire to campaign in a higher weight division.
Promoter Bob Arum, the founder of Top Rank who had been promoting Valero, said the fighter had never displayed such behavior and was "very polite, well spoken, sort of funny."
"It's obvious now, in retrospect, that he should have been institutionalized during this period, but it's silly to play the blame game," Arum said. "Now, in retrospect, he clearly should have been getting help."
Glance At Valero's Life, Career
Here is a glance at some events in Edwin Valero's life and boxing career:
• July 13, 2000 -- Valero defeats Francisco Bojado to become Central and South American amateur champion. He also was the Venezuelan amateur champion three years running.
• July 9, 2002 -- Valero makes his professional debut by knocking out Eduardo Hernandez at 2:02 of the first round in Caracas, Venezuela. He would knock out his first 18 opponents in the first round to set a record that has since been eclipsed.
• Aug. 8, 2006 -- Valero rallies from a third-round knockdown to stop Vicente Mosquera in the 10th round in Panama City, Panama, winning the WBA super featherweight title.
• April 4, 2009 -- Valero moves up in weight to stop Antonio Pitalua in the second round in Austin, Texas, and win the WBC lightweight title. Valero received a license to fight in Texas even though he sustained a cerebral hemorrhage in a motorcycle accident years earlier, preventing him from fighting in most U.S. jurisdictions.
• Sept. 29, 2009 -- Valero denies that he was detained on domestic violence charges after Venezuelan news reports that a neighbor called emergency services and told authorities the boxer had struck his mother and a sister.
• Dec. 19, 2009 -- Valero defends his lightweight title against Hector Velazquez in La Guaira, Venezuela.
• Feb. 2, 2010 -- Valero fights through a bloody gash to stop Antonio DeMarco in the ninth round in Monterrey, Mexico. It would be his final fight. Valero was replaced as WBC lightweight champion in February after he expressed a desire to campaign in a higher weight division.
• March 25, 2010 -- Valero is arrested on charges of harassing his wife and threatening medical personnel at a hospital where she was being treated for injuries. His wife, Jennifer Carolina Viera, told police her injuries were due to a fall.
• April 18, 2010 -- Valero's wife is found stabbed to death in a hotel room and the boxer is arrested in the killing.
• April 19, 2010 -- Valero is found dead in his jail cell, and police say he hanged himself.
-- Associated Press
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
Source: sports.espn.go.com
CARACAS, Venezuela -- Former boxing champion Edwin Valero, who had a spectacular career with 27 straight knockouts and flouted a tattoo of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on his chest, hanged himself in his jail cell Monday after being arrested in the fatal stabbing of his wife, police said.
The former lightweight champion used the sweat pants he was wearing to hang himself from a bar in the cell, said his lawyer, Milda Mora.
Valero, 28, had problems with alcohol and cocaine addiction and struggled with depression. He previously had been suspected of assaulting his wife, and was charged last month with harassing her and threatening personnel at a hospital where she was treated for injuries.
Valero's 24-year-old wife, Jennifer Carolina Viera, was found dead in a hotel room halfway across the country Sunday, and police said the fighter emerged from their room telling hotel security he had killed her.
Valero was found hanging in his cell early Monday by another inmate, who alerted authorities in the police lockup in north-central Carabobo state, Federal Police Chief Wilmer Flores told reporters. He said Valero still showed signs of life when they took him down, but they were unable to save him and he died about 1:30 a.m. ET.
The former WBA super featherweight and WBC lightweight champion was a household name in Venezuela, and had a huge image of Venezuela's president tattooed on his chest along with the country's yellow, blue and red flag.
A man whose fists carried him from poverty in a small town to fame, Valero's all-action style soon earned him a reputation as a tough, explosive crowd-pleaser. His last victory, in Mexico in February over Antonio DeMarco, brought his record to 27-0 -- all knockouts. Venezuelans called him "Inca," alluding to an Indian warrior, while elsewhere he was called "Dinamita," or dynamite.
Valero had a turbulent disposition and had been in trouble with the law before, for violent incidents and problems with alcohol and drugs.
Last month, he was charged with harassing his wife and threatening medical personnel who treated her at a hospital in the western city of Merida. Police arrested Valero following an argument with a doctor and nurse at the hospital, where his wife was being treated for injuries including a punctured lung and broken ribs.
The Attorney General's Office said in a statement that Valero was detained March 25 on suspicion of assaulting his wife, but his wife told a police officer her injuries were due to a fall. When the boxer arrived moments later, he forbade Viera from speaking to the police officer and spoke threateningly to the officer, prosecutors said in a statement.
A prosecutor had asked a court to keep Valero in jail, the Attorney General's Office said. But a judge instead allowed him to remain free under certain conditions, including that he appear in court every 90 days, said Mora, his lawyer.
Mora told The Associated Press that after the incident, Valero was held for nine days in a psychiatric hospital in Merida, where he underwent police-supervised rehabilitation. She said people close to the fighter posted bail on April 7 and he was allowed to go free.
Valero's manager, Jose Castillo, criticized authorities for failing to act more forcefully to prevent the killing.
"I asked the authorities not to let him out. He needed a lot of help. He was very bad in the head," Castillo told reporters. "But they let him out. They were very permissive with him, and because of that, we're now in the middle of this tragedy."
Mora, however, said of Valero: "He was the only one responsible."
She said the Venezuelan government had arranged for the fighter to attend a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program in Cuba. He had missed a flight to Cuba earlier this month and was scheduled to fly there soon, she said.
The fighter had police escorts who were charged with protecting him. But last week he slipped away from those escorts, leaving his house near Merida with his wife and saying they were headed into town, Mora said.
Valero stayed in touch with his manager by phone, but it was unclear how he and his wife turned up days later halfway across Venezuela at the hotel in Valencia, Mora said.
While police suspected Valero was battering his wife, "the only person who could report it was her, and she told her family that he never hit her," Mora said. "She wanted help for him."
Valero also "adored his wife," Mora said. "We were very close to him and we knew there could be this sort of outcome because when he became conscious of what he really had done, he wasn't going to be able to bear not being close to Carolina."
Mora described the fighter as hyperactive and said he suffered from depression. She said in jail the authorities took away his jacket and his shoelaces to prevent him from using them for a suicide attempt, and that he used his sweat pants instead.
Before his death, photographs showed Valero being led away in handcuffs, then shielding his face by pulling down his cap.
The fighter's 8-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter have been staying with their maternal grandmother, Mora said.
Valero had fought mainly in Japan and Latin America because he had trouble obtaining a license to fight in the United States. He suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in a motorcycle crash in 2001, and until the law was changed recently, most jurisdictions refused to grant a license to a fighter who had sustained a brain injury.
He also was charged with drunken driving in Texas, and despite efforts of his promoter, Top Rank, to secure a visa for him, the U.S. government denied his application because of the pending charges.
Valero claimed his application was denied because of politics; he was sympathetic of Chavez, a fierce critic of the U.S. government. U.S. officials say they cannot discuss individual visa cases.
Valero appeared as a special guest at events hosted by Chavez and was lionized by some of the president's supporters as a national hero, while some critics accused him of avoiding punishment for past problems due to his links to the government.
Valero's is the third high-profile suicide of a former boxing champion in the past year.
Hall of Famer Alexis Arguello, the mayor of Managua, Nicaragua, was found dead at his home in July of a gunshot wound to the chest. A few weeks later, Italian-born former super featherweight and junior welterweight champion Arturo Gatti, a naturalized Canadian, was found strangled in the Brazilian resort town of Porto de Galinhas. His wife was arrested as the prime suspect in the death, but authorities later ruled that he had committed suicide.
The World Boxing Council lamented Valero's death in a statement, saying he had "happy years" in boxing and that his record will go down in boxing history. The council also said it hopes to help create a fund to pay for the education of Valero's two children.
WBC president Jose Sulaiman has said Valero was replaced as WBC lightweight champion in February after he expressed a desire to campaign in a higher weight division.
Promoter Bob Arum, the founder of Top Rank who had been promoting Valero, said the fighter had never displayed such behavior and was "very polite, well spoken, sort of funny."
"It's obvious now, in retrospect, that he should have been institutionalized during this period, but it's silly to play the blame game," Arum said. "Now, in retrospect, he clearly should have been getting help."
Glance At Valero's Life, Career
Here is a glance at some events in Edwin Valero's life and boxing career:
• July 13, 2000 -- Valero defeats Francisco Bojado to become Central and South American amateur champion. He also was the Venezuelan amateur champion three years running.
• July 9, 2002 -- Valero makes his professional debut by knocking out Eduardo Hernandez at 2:02 of the first round in Caracas, Venezuela. He would knock out his first 18 opponents in the first round to set a record that has since been eclipsed.
• Aug. 8, 2006 -- Valero rallies from a third-round knockdown to stop Vicente Mosquera in the 10th round in Panama City, Panama, winning the WBA super featherweight title.
• April 4, 2009 -- Valero moves up in weight to stop Antonio Pitalua in the second round in Austin, Texas, and win the WBC lightweight title. Valero received a license to fight in Texas even though he sustained a cerebral hemorrhage in a motorcycle accident years earlier, preventing him from fighting in most U.S. jurisdictions.
• Sept. 29, 2009 -- Valero denies that he was detained on domestic violence charges after Venezuelan news reports that a neighbor called emergency services and told authorities the boxer had struck his mother and a sister.
• Dec. 19, 2009 -- Valero defends his lightweight title against Hector Velazquez in La Guaira, Venezuela.
• Feb. 2, 2010 -- Valero fights through a bloody gash to stop Antonio DeMarco in the ninth round in Monterrey, Mexico. It would be his final fight. Valero was replaced as WBC lightweight champion in February after he expressed a desire to campaign in a higher weight division.
• March 25, 2010 -- Valero is arrested on charges of harassing his wife and threatening medical personnel at a hospital where she was being treated for injuries. His wife, Jennifer Carolina Viera, told police her injuries were due to a fall.
• April 18, 2010 -- Valero's wife is found stabbed to death in a hotel room and the boxer is arrested in the killing.
• April 19, 2010 -- Valero is found dead in his jail cell, and police say he hanged himself.
-- Associated Press
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
Source: sports.espn.go.com
Edwin Valero -- Telegraph
Telegraph.co.uk
Two months ago Valero stopped Antonio DeMarco in the Mexican city of Monterrey in what proved to be his final fight. It meant that Valero had won all his 27 fights by knockout, and he was being widely talked of as a possible opponent for the Filipino Manny Pacquiao, generally regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
A ferocious hitter with both hands, as well as a ruthless finisher, Valero’s fame quickly extended beyond his native Venezuela when he set a record by winning his first 18 fights by first-round knockouts.
A somewhat wild, colourful figure who sported an enormous tattoo of Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez on his chest, Valero enjoyed a high profile and a powerful mystique in the boxing world. This was despite the fact that — owing to brain scan irregularities detected after a motorcycle accident during his days as an amateur — he had been restricted to just four fights in the United States. As a result, his career was made principally in Japan and Latin America.
He was a national hero in his home country, where he was known “El Inca” or “Dinamita”.
Edwin Valero was born on December 3 1981 at Bolero Alto, and brought up in El Vigía. He had more than 80 amateur contests — losing only a handful — before electing to turn professional at the age of 21. He launched his astonishing winning streak by dispatching his compatriot Eduardo Hernandez in the opening round, at Caracas, on July 9 2002.
It was not until March 25 2006 – during his 19th professional fight – that Valero was taken to a second round, by the Mexican boxer Genaro Trazancos.
Valero’s next outing — in Panama City on August 5 that year — saw him take the World Boxing Association super-featherweight crown with a 10th-round stoppage of the Panamanian Vicente Mosquera, having himself been knocked to the canvas in round three.
Having made four successful defences, Valero moved up a division to claim the vacant World Boxing Council crown with a second-round stoppage of the Colombian veteran Antonio Pitalua in Austin, Texas, on April 4 2009.
Since then, no challenger had come close to deposing him. However, Valero was suspended as champion having expressed his intention to move up in weight again. At the same time he was said to be grappling with a drink and drug addiction, and events took a more sinister turn when his wife, 24-year-old Jennifer Viera, was reportedly taken to hospital suffering broken ribs and a punctured lung.
Valero was arrested last month, accused of harassing his wife and threatening hospital staff. Then Jennifer was found dead in a hotel in the Venezuelan city of Valencia. The boxer was again arrested, on suspicion of her murder.
Police said that Valero appeared to have used his own clothes to hang himself in a police cell on April 19.
Source: telegraph.co.uk
Two months ago Valero stopped Antonio DeMarco in the Mexican city of Monterrey in what proved to be his final fight. It meant that Valero had won all his 27 fights by knockout, and he was being widely talked of as a possible opponent for the Filipino Manny Pacquiao, generally regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
A ferocious hitter with both hands, as well as a ruthless finisher, Valero’s fame quickly extended beyond his native Venezuela when he set a record by winning his first 18 fights by first-round knockouts.
A somewhat wild, colourful figure who sported an enormous tattoo of Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez on his chest, Valero enjoyed a high profile and a powerful mystique in the boxing world. This was despite the fact that — owing to brain scan irregularities detected after a motorcycle accident during his days as an amateur — he had been restricted to just four fights in the United States. As a result, his career was made principally in Japan and Latin America.
He was a national hero in his home country, where he was known “El Inca” or “Dinamita”.
Edwin Valero was born on December 3 1981 at Bolero Alto, and brought up in El Vigía. He had more than 80 amateur contests — losing only a handful — before electing to turn professional at the age of 21. He launched his astonishing winning streak by dispatching his compatriot Eduardo Hernandez in the opening round, at Caracas, on July 9 2002.
It was not until March 25 2006 – during his 19th professional fight – that Valero was taken to a second round, by the Mexican boxer Genaro Trazancos.
Valero’s next outing — in Panama City on August 5 that year — saw him take the World Boxing Association super-featherweight crown with a 10th-round stoppage of the Panamanian Vicente Mosquera, having himself been knocked to the canvas in round three.
Having made four successful defences, Valero moved up a division to claim the vacant World Boxing Council crown with a second-round stoppage of the Colombian veteran Antonio Pitalua in Austin, Texas, on April 4 2009.
Since then, no challenger had come close to deposing him. However, Valero was suspended as champion having expressed his intention to move up in weight again. At the same time he was said to be grappling with a drink and drug addiction, and events took a more sinister turn when his wife, 24-year-old Jennifer Viera, was reportedly taken to hospital suffering broken ribs and a punctured lung.
Valero was arrested last month, accused of harassing his wife and threatening hospital staff. Then Jennifer was found dead in a hotel in the Venezuelan city of Valencia. The boxer was again arrested, on suspicion of her murder.
Police said that Valero appeared to have used his own clothes to hang himself in a police cell on April 19.
Source: telegraph.co.uk
Murder – Suicide: The Life & Death of Edwin Valero -- Ringside Report
By Geno McGahee, RingsideReport.com
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.
Source: ringsidereport.com
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.
Source: ringsidereport.com
Valero couldn't have killed self - Pacquiao -- Philippine Star
By Abac Cordero, The Philippine Star
MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao was “shocked and surprised” over the death of Venezuelan knockout artist Edwin Valero but isn’t falling for the suicide story hook, line and sinker.
Pacquiao’s adviser, Mike Koncz, yesterday said the Filipino champion was out on the campaign trail when he learned that Valero had committed suicide in a jail cell in Caracas.
Valero, who knocked out all his 27 opponents, was earlier arrested for the killing of his wife, but based on reports he handed out his own death sentence by hanging himself using his own clothes.
“Manny knew about the stabbing of Valero’s wife but when I told him that Valero had committed suicide he was totally shocked and surprised,” said Koncz from General Santos City.
Pacquiao, who’s seeking a congressional seat in the province of Sarangani, feels that there could be more than the suicide story.
“He thought about the possibility of a conspiracy,” said Koncz of Pacquiao.
“And that it was possible that the family of Valero’s wife had powerful friends and so there could have been a conspiracy to get back at Valero. How can you hang yourself using your clothes?” Koncz asked.
“Someone might have gotten back at Valero. If police authorities felt that Valero could be a danger even to himself, they should have stripped him down to his briefs inside his cell or put on a straight jacket on him,” he added.
“They do that in the United States. Venezuelan authorities should have placed Valero under suicidal watch,” said Pacquiao’s Canadian adviser when asked how Pacquiao felt about the death of his potential opponent.
Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, told boxing chronicler Michael Marley he wasn’t shocked when Valero committed suicide.
“I was shocked, really shocked, when he murdered the wife. But I was not shocked to hear this morning that he killed himself. I really figured it would end this way, starting from when he came down (from drugs and/or alcohol) and he realized what he had done to the wife,” Arum said.
“So am I shocked that he then killed himself? No I am not, because I believed he then realized he could either kill himself or spend the rest of his life in a prison cell,” Arum said.
“Valero’s smartest move, the only move he had left, was to take his own life. It is a tragic thing anyway you want to look at it. He wanted to avoid spending the rest of his life in jail and this was his only way to avoid it,” said the legendary promoter.
Source: philstar.com
MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao was “shocked and surprised” over the death of Venezuelan knockout artist Edwin Valero but isn’t falling for the suicide story hook, line and sinker.
Pacquiao’s adviser, Mike Koncz, yesterday said the Filipino champion was out on the campaign trail when he learned that Valero had committed suicide in a jail cell in Caracas.
Valero, who knocked out all his 27 opponents, was earlier arrested for the killing of his wife, but based on reports he handed out his own death sentence by hanging himself using his own clothes.
“Manny knew about the stabbing of Valero’s wife but when I told him that Valero had committed suicide he was totally shocked and surprised,” said Koncz from General Santos City.
Pacquiao, who’s seeking a congressional seat in the province of Sarangani, feels that there could be more than the suicide story.
“He thought about the possibility of a conspiracy,” said Koncz of Pacquiao.
“And that it was possible that the family of Valero’s wife had powerful friends and so there could have been a conspiracy to get back at Valero. How can you hang yourself using your clothes?” Koncz asked.
“Someone might have gotten back at Valero. If police authorities felt that Valero could be a danger even to himself, they should have stripped him down to his briefs inside his cell or put on a straight jacket on him,” he added.
“They do that in the United States. Venezuelan authorities should have placed Valero under suicidal watch,” said Pacquiao’s Canadian adviser when asked how Pacquiao felt about the death of his potential opponent.
Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, told boxing chronicler Michael Marley he wasn’t shocked when Valero committed suicide.
“I was shocked, really shocked, when he murdered the wife. But I was not shocked to hear this morning that he killed himself. I really figured it would end this way, starting from when he came down (from drugs and/or alcohol) and he realized what he had done to the wife,” Arum said.
“So am I shocked that he then killed himself? No I am not, because I believed he then realized he could either kill himself or spend the rest of his life in a prison cell,” Arum said.
“Valero’s smartest move, the only move he had left, was to take his own life. It is a tragic thing anyway you want to look at it. He wanted to avoid spending the rest of his life in jail and this was his only way to avoid it,” said the legendary promoter.
Source: philstar.com
Pacquiao condoles with Valero family -- ABS-CBN News
abs-cbnNEWS.com
GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines – Seven-division champion Manny Pacquiao expressed surprise over the death of former 2-time world champ Edwin "El Dinamita" Valero, who was one of his potential future opponents in the ring.
“Nagulat ako nang malaman ko ang nangyari (I was surprised when I heard of what happened),” said Pacquiao, who is the last few weeks of his bid for the lone congressional post in Sarangani Province.
“Nakikiramay ako sa pamilya niya, ipagdasal na lang natin siya (I condole with his family, let us pray for his soul),” he added.
The heavy-hitting Venezuelan boxer, who went undefeated for 27 fights, was considered among the Filipino champion's possible opponents because of his sensational fighting style.
He committed suicide in his prison cell a day after being arrested for the murder of his young wife.
Pacquiao's adviser Michael Koncz also lamented Valero’s fate, saying it could have been prevented had the Venezuelan’s manager intervened.
Downward spiral
Valero’s life went on a downward spiral during the past weeks. Near the end of March, he was arrested for suspected aggression towards his wife, and had spent time subsequently at a psychiatric clinic.
He was detained on Sunday after confessing to murdering his 20-year-old wife, Jennifer Carolina Viera de Valero, in a hotel room overnight in the northern Venezuelan city of Valencia.
A day after his arrest, Valero hanged himself by making a rope out of his clothes. He was apparently still alive when guards found him, but died shortly after arriving at hospital from asphyxiation. He was 28.
Valero, together with former world champion David Diaz, were even among the VIPs (very important persons) who attended Pacquiao’s 2008 birthday bash.
“He was here 2 years ago with David Diaz during Manny's birthday,” said Koncz. “But he never disclosed anything about his problems.”
'Primed to take on Pacquiao'
Top Rank promotions chief Bob Arum said he was setting up Valero to be a future opponent of Pacquiao.
“I was grooming him as a great future opponent for Manny Pacquiao. That would have been a sensational fight,” Arum said in a Reuters report.
The WBC listed Valero as champion in recess in February to allow him to recover from his injury and give him time to decide which division he will compete next.
“He was a sensational fighter, sensational… He was just electric. A complete crowd-pleasing style,” added Arum, who co-promoted the Venezuelan’s last two fights. Arum also promotes the bouts of Pacquiao.
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the Venezuelan fighter was considering to fight in the welterweight division so he can clash with Pacquiao, the World Boxing Organization (WBO) titleholder.
Even Pacquiao’s coach, Freddie Roach, was setting his sights on Valero as a suitable opponent for the Filipino should negotiations with Floyd Mayweather, Jr. fail again. (Click here to read).
“The number one contender in my mind right now is Valero,” Roach told BoxingScene.com in March after Pacquiao retained his WBO welterweight crown by defeating Joshua Clottey via unanimous decision on March 13.
“I've been watching him a little bit. I know he's a big puncher. He's a southpaw and does pose some difficulties. He's better than just a guy who could punch but I think that's the best marketable fight out there for us,” he noted.
String of deaths
Valero's case is the latest among the string of deaths related to big name boxers in recent months.
In July 2009, Panamanian boxing legend and 3-time world champion Alexis "The Explosive Thin Man" Arguello died after reportedly shooting himself in the heart.
A week later, Canadian boxer Arturo Gatti was allegedly murdered by his wife, after a heated domestic dispute.
Two-time world champion Vernon Forrest of the US was killed after being shot at by an armed robber in Atlanta also in July. -- With a report from Jay Dayupay, ABS-CBN News SOKSARGEN and Agence France-Presse
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines – Seven-division champion Manny Pacquiao expressed surprise over the death of former 2-time world champ Edwin "El Dinamita" Valero, who was one of his potential future opponents in the ring.
“Nagulat ako nang malaman ko ang nangyari (I was surprised when I heard of what happened),” said Pacquiao, who is the last few weeks of his bid for the lone congressional post in Sarangani Province.
“Nakikiramay ako sa pamilya niya, ipagdasal na lang natin siya (I condole with his family, let us pray for his soul),” he added.
The heavy-hitting Venezuelan boxer, who went undefeated for 27 fights, was considered among the Filipino champion's possible opponents because of his sensational fighting style.
He committed suicide in his prison cell a day after being arrested for the murder of his young wife.
Pacquiao's adviser Michael Koncz also lamented Valero’s fate, saying it could have been prevented had the Venezuelan’s manager intervened.
Downward spiral
Valero’s life went on a downward spiral during the past weeks. Near the end of March, he was arrested for suspected aggression towards his wife, and had spent time subsequently at a psychiatric clinic.
He was detained on Sunday after confessing to murdering his 20-year-old wife, Jennifer Carolina Viera de Valero, in a hotel room overnight in the northern Venezuelan city of Valencia.
A day after his arrest, Valero hanged himself by making a rope out of his clothes. He was apparently still alive when guards found him, but died shortly after arriving at hospital from asphyxiation. He was 28.
Valero, together with former world champion David Diaz, were even among the VIPs (very important persons) who attended Pacquiao’s 2008 birthday bash.
“He was here 2 years ago with David Diaz during Manny's birthday,” said Koncz. “But he never disclosed anything about his problems.”
'Primed to take on Pacquiao'
Top Rank promotions chief Bob Arum said he was setting up Valero to be a future opponent of Pacquiao.
“I was grooming him as a great future opponent for Manny Pacquiao. That would have been a sensational fight,” Arum said in a Reuters report.
The WBC listed Valero as champion in recess in February to allow him to recover from his injury and give him time to decide which division he will compete next.
“He was a sensational fighter, sensational… He was just electric. A complete crowd-pleasing style,” added Arum, who co-promoted the Venezuelan’s last two fights. Arum also promotes the bouts of Pacquiao.
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the Venezuelan fighter was considering to fight in the welterweight division so he can clash with Pacquiao, the World Boxing Organization (WBO) titleholder.
Even Pacquiao’s coach, Freddie Roach, was setting his sights on Valero as a suitable opponent for the Filipino should negotiations with Floyd Mayweather, Jr. fail again. (Click here to read).
“The number one contender in my mind right now is Valero,” Roach told BoxingScene.com in March after Pacquiao retained his WBO welterweight crown by defeating Joshua Clottey via unanimous decision on March 13.
“I've been watching him a little bit. I know he's a big puncher. He's a southpaw and does pose some difficulties. He's better than just a guy who could punch but I think that's the best marketable fight out there for us,” he noted.
String of deaths
Valero's case is the latest among the string of deaths related to big name boxers in recent months.
In July 2009, Panamanian boxing legend and 3-time world champion Alexis "The Explosive Thin Man" Arguello died after reportedly shooting himself in the heart.
A week later, Canadian boxer Arturo Gatti was allegedly murdered by his wife, after a heated domestic dispute.
Two-time world champion Vernon Forrest of the US was killed after being shot at by an armed robber in Atlanta also in July. -- With a report from Jay Dayupay, ABS-CBN News SOKSARGEN and Agence France-Presse
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
Senin, 19 April 2010
Bob Arum: I knew Valero would kill himself to escape prison cage -- Examiner
By Michael Marley, Examiner.com
Top Rank head honcho Bob Arum said the suicide by hanging in a Venezuelan jail cell was "the first sensible thing" that undefeated world lightweight champion boxer Edwin "El Inca" Valero had done lately.
Arum, 78 and obviously worldly wise through a career first as a United States attorney and then four decades as one of boxing's leading fightmakers, was not being insensitive in his remarks to me Monday. He was just being realistic.
"There's no need, no reason to play the blame game here. There were a lot of people, including his boxing manager (Jose Castillo) and Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, who tried to help this troubled guy out. I'm sure that Chavez and the government will help those two children (ages five and seven) who are left behind and now with a murdered mother and a father who killed her and then took his own life.
"I was shocked, really shocked, when he murdered the wife. But I was not shocked to hear this morning that he killed himself.
"I really figured it would end this way, starting from when he came down (from drugs and/or alchohol) and he realized what he had done to the wife.
"So am I shocked that he then killed himself? No I am not, because I believed he then realized he could either kill himself or spend the rest of his life in a prison cell," Arum said.
Arum, who took on Valero for just two bouts under the Top Rank banner, said that Japanese promoter Akihiko Honda had warned company president and Arum stepson Todd duBoef that Valero had serious issues while living in Tokyo.
"Todd was told by Honda that Valero had some real problems, drugs and alcohol problems, real substance abuse problems. The manager is a nice guy, a feeling guy, and he tried to do everything he could do for this kid.
"What can you say now but rest in peace? Valero's smartest move, the only move he had left, was to take his own life. It is a tragic thing any way you want to look at it," Arum said. "He wanted to avoid spending the rest of his life in jail and this was his only way to avoid it.
Arum said Valero's gaudy 27-0, all-by-KO record and his boxing potential is all "immaterial' now. But he did pause to reflect on what might have been in the ring had Valero's personal demons away from the ring not ended his wife's life and then his own.
It was clear that Arum fully intended to match southpaw slugger Valero against lefthanded puncher and Top Rank's chief client, Manny Pacquiao.
"I would have had him fight two more times, moving up to 140 pounds," Arum said. "He and Manny would have been a great fight, two so energetic and charismatic punchers colliding.
"I just think that this fight would have been a tremendous fight but now it does not matter.
"So be it, rest in peace."
(mlcmarley@aol.com)
Source: examiner.com
Top Rank head honcho Bob Arum said the suicide by hanging in a Venezuelan jail cell was "the first sensible thing" that undefeated world lightweight champion boxer Edwin "El Inca" Valero had done lately.
Arum, 78 and obviously worldly wise through a career first as a United States attorney and then four decades as one of boxing's leading fightmakers, was not being insensitive in his remarks to me Monday. He was just being realistic.
"There's no need, no reason to play the blame game here. There were a lot of people, including his boxing manager (Jose Castillo) and Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, who tried to help this troubled guy out. I'm sure that Chavez and the government will help those two children (ages five and seven) who are left behind and now with a murdered mother and a father who killed her and then took his own life.
"I was shocked, really shocked, when he murdered the wife. But I was not shocked to hear this morning that he killed himself.
"I really figured it would end this way, starting from when he came down (from drugs and/or alchohol) and he realized what he had done to the wife.
"So am I shocked that he then killed himself? No I am not, because I believed he then realized he could either kill himself or spend the rest of his life in a prison cell," Arum said.
Arum, who took on Valero for just two bouts under the Top Rank banner, said that Japanese promoter Akihiko Honda had warned company president and Arum stepson Todd duBoef that Valero had serious issues while living in Tokyo.
"Todd was told by Honda that Valero had some real problems, drugs and alcohol problems, real substance abuse problems. The manager is a nice guy, a feeling guy, and he tried to do everything he could do for this kid.
"What can you say now but rest in peace? Valero's smartest move, the only move he had left, was to take his own life. It is a tragic thing any way you want to look at it," Arum said. "He wanted to avoid spending the rest of his life in jail and this was his only way to avoid it.
Arum said Valero's gaudy 27-0, all-by-KO record and his boxing potential is all "immaterial' now. But he did pause to reflect on what might have been in the ring had Valero's personal demons away from the ring not ended his wife's life and then his own.
It was clear that Arum fully intended to match southpaw slugger Valero against lefthanded puncher and Top Rank's chief client, Manny Pacquiao.
"I would have had him fight two more times, moving up to 140 pounds," Arum said. "He and Manny would have been a great fight, two so energetic and charismatic punchers colliding.
"I just think that this fight would have been a tremendous fight but now it does not matter.
"So be it, rest in peace."
(mlcmarley@aol.com)
Source: examiner.com
Edwin Valero - We'll Never Know How Great He Could Have Been -- Eastside Boxing
By James Slater, Eastside Boxing
We're all still trying to take in the stunning news of how former two-weight champion Edwin Valero chose to take his own life whilst in jail earlier today, and for most of us it's from a boxing standpoint only that we can even relate to Valero and the whole sorry saga. Of course, condolences must go out to the family of Valero himself and to the family of the woman he reportedly admitted killing, but our sport has lost a potentially great fighter. In this article, I ask how great could Valero have been.
Valero always was something of a short fuse, in and out (mainly out) of the ring; and there will likely be those fans who say they are not all that shocked at what has transpired. However, what must be agreed on is the fact that Valero lost his marbles in a alarmingly short period of time. Only a little over two months ago, the Venezuelan southpaw was beating up Antonio DeMarco whilst retaining his WBC lightweight crown. Also looking ahead to big fights against the likes of Manny Pacquiao and maybe Timothy Bradley and/or one of the two Peterson brothers, Valero was fast becoming a real attraction, and not just to hardcore fight fans, but to casual fans also..
Then, shortly after the 28-year-old announced how he was vacating his lightweight belt in order to move up in weight, all hell broke loose. Domestic violence charges led to an enforced stay in rehab, then the domestic violence led to the murder of Valero's wife, and finally, Valero, presumably wracked with guilt for having stabbed his beloved, took his own life by hanging. To look at and write about Valero purely from a boxing standpoint when all this has happened may seem callous to some, but what else is a boxing fan/writer to do right now? Not knowing any of the people involved in the whole shoddy saga, I can only write about Valero and his boxing achievements.
And now that he's gone - one of the most ferociously entertaining and destructive forces seen in the lower weight classes for quite some time - we have to evaluate the former WBA super-featherweight and WBC lightweight champion's career. Also, we have to ask ourselves, how great, could "El Inca" have been? Would he have been great at all?
No-one disputes the punching power of the man who romped to a straight 27 KO's (an amazing 19 of them coming inside a round!) and nobody denies the electricity Valero generated in the ring. But, it must be said, the 5'6" terror never faced an opponent who was close to being ranked as a great fighter. And of course now he never will. But what would have happened if Valero had lived to get that dream fight with pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao? No doubt, if the hard case had somehow managed to win that one, his place in history would have been secured (in a far more celebratory manner than it now will be).
But was Valero ever going to be good enough to rumble with the likes of Pac-Man, Bradley and the other polished boxers fighting at or around the 140-pound mark? At 5'6" Valero, it could be argued, had the necessary height and reach to make it as a light-welter, and his withering, one-punch KO power would have always given him a chance against any fighter he met in the ring. On the minus side, though, is Valero's crudeness and his less than granite chin. Valero, if he had met a skilled boxer like a Tim Bradley, would likely have been made to miss by a mile or two with some, if not most of his punches. And when under return fire, Valero could be sent to the canvas (as Vicente Mosquera proved in August of 2006).
Would Valero have been able to take Pacquiao's best and keep coming? Of course we'll never know for sure, but I think if Valero had met Pacquiao we would have seen a wildly entertaining few rounds, before Valero took the inevitable punch too many and got stopped. Who knows, Pacquiao-Valero could have even topped the still celebrated Hagler-Hearns war for greatest short fight!
As things stand with the ring achievements he did make before his premature death - two titles at different weights - Valero certainly must be remembered as a very good, not to mention hugely exciting, world class fighter. Had he lived he may have got that fight he wanted with Pacquiao, and it's not totally crazy to say the wild man's style might, just might, have given Manny trouble and even beaten him. One thing we can all agree on is how exciting it would have been if we'd been allowed to find out who would have come out on top between the two fast and heavy-handed southpaws.
Unfortunately, and whether you feel Valero was capable of achieving greatness or not, any future fights involving him will ALL have to be of the Dream Fight variety.
Source: eastsideboxing.com
We're all still trying to take in the stunning news of how former two-weight champion Edwin Valero chose to take his own life whilst in jail earlier today, and for most of us it's from a boxing standpoint only that we can even relate to Valero and the whole sorry saga. Of course, condolences must go out to the family of Valero himself and to the family of the woman he reportedly admitted killing, but our sport has lost a potentially great fighter. In this article, I ask how great could Valero have been.
Valero always was something of a short fuse, in and out (mainly out) of the ring; and there will likely be those fans who say they are not all that shocked at what has transpired. However, what must be agreed on is the fact that Valero lost his marbles in a alarmingly short period of time. Only a little over two months ago, the Venezuelan southpaw was beating up Antonio DeMarco whilst retaining his WBC lightweight crown. Also looking ahead to big fights against the likes of Manny Pacquiao and maybe Timothy Bradley and/or one of the two Peterson brothers, Valero was fast becoming a real attraction, and not just to hardcore fight fans, but to casual fans also..
Then, shortly after the 28-year-old announced how he was vacating his lightweight belt in order to move up in weight, all hell broke loose. Domestic violence charges led to an enforced stay in rehab, then the domestic violence led to the murder of Valero's wife, and finally, Valero, presumably wracked with guilt for having stabbed his beloved, took his own life by hanging. To look at and write about Valero purely from a boxing standpoint when all this has happened may seem callous to some, but what else is a boxing fan/writer to do right now? Not knowing any of the people involved in the whole shoddy saga, I can only write about Valero and his boxing achievements.
And now that he's gone - one of the most ferociously entertaining and destructive forces seen in the lower weight classes for quite some time - we have to evaluate the former WBA super-featherweight and WBC lightweight champion's career. Also, we have to ask ourselves, how great, could "El Inca" have been? Would he have been great at all?
No-one disputes the punching power of the man who romped to a straight 27 KO's (an amazing 19 of them coming inside a round!) and nobody denies the electricity Valero generated in the ring. But, it must be said, the 5'6" terror never faced an opponent who was close to being ranked as a great fighter. And of course now he never will. But what would have happened if Valero had lived to get that dream fight with pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao? No doubt, if the hard case had somehow managed to win that one, his place in history would have been secured (in a far more celebratory manner than it now will be).
But was Valero ever going to be good enough to rumble with the likes of Pac-Man, Bradley and the other polished boxers fighting at or around the 140-pound mark? At 5'6" Valero, it could be argued, had the necessary height and reach to make it as a light-welter, and his withering, one-punch KO power would have always given him a chance against any fighter he met in the ring. On the minus side, though, is Valero's crudeness and his less than granite chin. Valero, if he had met a skilled boxer like a Tim Bradley, would likely have been made to miss by a mile or two with some, if not most of his punches. And when under return fire, Valero could be sent to the canvas (as Vicente Mosquera proved in August of 2006).
Would Valero have been able to take Pacquiao's best and keep coming? Of course we'll never know for sure, but I think if Valero had met Pacquiao we would have seen a wildly entertaining few rounds, before Valero took the inevitable punch too many and got stopped. Who knows, Pacquiao-Valero could have even topped the still celebrated Hagler-Hearns war for greatest short fight!
As things stand with the ring achievements he did make before his premature death - two titles at different weights - Valero certainly must be remembered as a very good, not to mention hugely exciting, world class fighter. Had he lived he may have got that fight he wanted with Pacquiao, and it's not totally crazy to say the wild man's style might, just might, have given Manny trouble and even beaten him. One thing we can all agree on is how exciting it would have been if we'd been allowed to find out who would have come out on top between the two fast and heavy-handed southpaws.
Unfortunately, and whether you feel Valero was capable of achieving greatness or not, any future fights involving him will ALL have to be of the Dream Fight variety.
Source: eastsideboxing.com
Arreola Hopes for a Fight to Break Out with Adamek -- SecondsOut
By Steve Kim, SecondsOut.com
On Saturday night at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California, the main event featured on HBO will be a heavyweight tussle between Chris Arreola and Tomasz Adamek. Based on track record, this battle looks to be among the most fan-friendly fights that can be made in the often dreary heavyweight division.
Arreola is a straight ahead banger who relies more on brawn than finesse in the ring, while Adamek, from his days as a light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion, has a history of being involved in slugfests. But Arreola, who will hold a sizable weight advantage on the Polish star, doesn’t believe that Adamek will sit and trade with him, at least not initially.
"No, I don’t expect him to bang with me at all. If he didn’t bang with Jason Estrada, who’s not a banger, can’t pop a grape, you expect him to bang with me? Exactly," reasoned Arreola. "So I don’t forsee that at all. But you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. He’s going to resort to his old stuff eventually. After a couple of rounds, four or five rounds, he’s going to have to go and bang."
While it’s true that eventually you’ll most likely revert to what you do best- which, in Adamek’s case, is stalking his prey and punching them out- it’s a whole different ballgame when you’re going up against much bigger men. Against Estrada in February, Adamek fought in a calculated manner. Arreola says he saw a boxer who cannot deal with a legitimate, 21st century heavyweight." No, not at all. Like I said, I wouldn’t be afraid of Estrada, I’d be in there banging with him. Estrada is not a puncher. Nothing about him says, ’Hey, I’m a puncher.’ It’s hit-and-go. And that’s what he was doing. You know I wouldn’t fear Estrada."
If that’s the case, then can Arreola lure Adamek into a firefight?
"I’m hoping for it, but y’ know what? Honestly, I’m going to make it that fight. Not him- I am, because he’s not that kind of fighter. He’s really going to try to run from me. I guarantee you from the bell, he’s going to jab and run, jab and run. That’s exactly what he’s going to do. And y’ know what? I’m going to come and bring the fight to him and make him fight and eventually, he’s going to have no choice but to fight me," said Arreola, who has a record of 28-1 with 25 knockouts. To prepare for the expected movement, his main sparring partner was Fres Oquendo.
His strength and conditioning coach, Daryl Hudson says, "The things that we’re focused on, is for Chris to be more agile, quicker. We really emphasized quickness and agility, to the level of effectiveness, that the level of sparring that we’re bringing in, he has to exercise those things, as well." A constant storyline with Arreola will always be his weight. It wasn’t that long ago he was fighting at 235 pounds (when he faced Malcolm Tann in 2007), to weighing in over 260, like he did for his last outing versus Brian Minto in December. But his team swears that he is a changed man after his loss to Vitali Klitschko last September. "Since then, he has mentioned to me that he finally watched the Klitschko fight,” Hudson continued. “I don’t know what prompted him to watch it; you know how fighters are after a devastating loss like that- because it was devastating to him- but the work we had been doing, was the work we just mentioned, agility, quickness, things of that nature. We were out working and warming up on the track one day, and he mentioned that he watched the fight and I think he now realizes that he can’t just run over people, plow them over and expect someone to step to him. He’s going to have to be a boxer, as well."
His often-times frustrated trainer, Henry Ramirez, insists that they have had a productive stretch out in Riverside, where they both hail from.
"Yes, very much so. An average training camp is eight weeks and so I tried to make this one a ten-week camp, with certain things in mind about Chris...let’s just leave it at that," said Ramirez, laughing. Those “certain things” are no small secret throughout boxing circles. The man likes his beer; he likes to eat large portions of food and has been known to simply disappear for a day or three during the lead-up to a fight.
Is he really a changed man after the loss to Klitschko?
"I would think so," said Ramirez, "I would certainly hope so. The Minto fight obviously wasn’t an example of that but, no matter what, people are going to judge him on what he weighs. That’s the reality. They’re going to assume that if he’s a certain weight, he’s in great shape or not in great shape. I’ll tell you this; he’s going to be under 245. So I guess in some people’s mind, they’re going to see him as being in superb shape."
But yes, there are still those…ahem…”certain things” with Arreola.
"There are moments; it’s just Chris," said Hudson, with a laugh. "It’s just his nature. Y’ know, with fighters, nothing should surprise you with them. They are who they are. They go through where they question themselves and it’s like a moment of truth. Every fighter- I don’t care who the opponent is- they tend to question themselves. But one thing about Chris is, when it’s time to step in-between the squared circle, he’s ready to fight and he’s gonna fight." Hudson believes that the indiscretions will lesson with time. "Yes, I think it will. What he’s doing now is, you see him execute the drills, the agility and the movement, the quickness, the double-jab, the triple-jab, things that we work on. Stepping, pushing off and you see him execute in sparring. That’s a beautiful thing when you see a fighter take what he learned into the ring."
For Arreola, less is more. When asked how much better his client is closer to 240 than 260, Hudson says, "On a level of one-to-ten, 260 being one, ten is 240. Even in the ’50s now, he’s moving like he’s in the ’40s. Just imagine when we get nine, ten pounds off of him within the next two weeks."
Regarding alcohol consumption, the big fella says, "I cut that off, now going on four weeks." Not even one beer? "No beer, no nothing." That had to be the most difficult vice for him to give up, right? "No," he clarified, "that’s not difficult. The most difficult thing is cutting out..." Uh, let’s just say it’s that thing that supposedly kills a fighter’s legs. "Yeah, exactly," said Arreola, chuckling.
So when it’s all said and done, will the leather fly on Saturday night?
"I would hope so, I mean, that’s what people are looking towards this fight," said Ramirez. "The fight that people want to see, and that gets this fight some of the press and people excited, is the assumption that Adamek is going to be Adamek. Chris is going to be Chris. Is Adamek going to be himself? I know that they’re going to try to box, initially. But like I told you before, I just think he’s a fighter at heart and at some point in this dog fight, he’ll resort to being the old Tomasz Adamek, exciting and a brawler, basically."
We hope so.
GHOST BUSTED
At the end of eight rounds on Saturday night at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, it seemed that Kelly Pavlik had things where he wanted them against Sergio Martinez. After getting out-boxed and out-quicked during the early rounds, he had seemingly figured out the riddle that was Martinez, who suffered a mid-round knockdown and seem to be fading a bit. It was at this point, you figured that the naturally bigger and stronger Pavlik would come on and wear down “Maravilla.” All the momentum was with Pavlik, at this point.
But in an interesting fight that played out in three stages, the last portion of the fight was taken by Martinez, who just seemed to grit his teeth and was determined not to be the recipient of another close, questionable call in the States. He got his second wind and started darting in and out and around Pavlik, then peppered him with sharp punches that cut Pavlik around both eyes and left him with a mask of crimson, by night’s end. The only thing that could save Pavlik this night was judges from Nevada, but being that they were about 3,000 miles away, he would get no such aid. Ultimately, Martinez won a well-deserved unanimous decision and distinction as the middleweight champion of the world.
Martinez was every bit the stylistic problem most had envisioned for Pavlik. But what was really striking to me was the lack of snap and torque in Pavlik’s punches and his inability to pull the trigger with any quickness or velocity. He’s still a heavy-handed guy, but I haven’t seen his offensive arsenal that made him so dangerous since 2007. Pavlik’s never been fleet of foot or a speed merchant, but he just looks like a fighter who’s movement looks so labored and forced. I know some will, of course, blame his trainer, Jack Loew, but to me, this is really about the thoroughbred and not the jockey. Pavlik has gone backwards physically at a time in his career when you think he should be in his prime.
I’m left wondering if the Pavlik who first captured the title from Jermain Taylor was the best version of him we’ll ever see. The future is certainly murky for the pride of Youngstown, Ohio, whose support in his hometown had waned before this latest setback. He has a rematch clause, but Martinez will simply present the same problems all over again and, next time around, armed with the confidence that he can defeat Pavlik.
But this was also a loss for the business of boxing, which needs all the ticket sellers it can get. Atlantic City has been looking for the next Arturo Gatti to be its flagship fighter and it was hoped that Pavlik would fill that void. But on Saturday night, Pavlik was unable to pull out a dramatic victory under the same circumstance that Gatti did on a regular basis.
And because of that, the search is still on.
VALERO
Like everyone else that follows boxing, I was hit with the disturbing news on Sunday morning that WBC lightweight champion Edwin Valero had allegedly stabbed his wife to death in his home country of Venezuela. I’m shocked but, then again, I’m not all that shocked. Valero’s life was turbulent, to say the least, and you just had a feeling it wasn’t going to end well. But I didn’t think the downfall would be to this extreme.
I remember getting introduced to a young Valero in the summer of 2004 by Joe Hernandez, who believed this young, dynamic, raw puncher had a chance to be a champion. I certainly didn’t follow him to the degree that my then-Max-colleague Doug Fischer did, but I enjoyed a friendly and cordial relationship with him, since that point. To him, I was that Asian guy who worked with the pony-tailed fellow who always interviewed him.
My last real interaction came with Valero the night before Manny Pacquiao faced Oscar De La Hoya on December 5th, 2008, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. He was with my friend Ray Alcorta of Top Rank, who had actually promoted some shows in Maywood, California, where Valero made his American debut, and was still pretty close with him. I was invited by them to have dinner at the Studio Cafe at the MGM Grand. We were with a group of about six or seven people, with Valero, Alcorta and me at the very end of the table. Valero speaks very little English, but I asked him through Alcorta, who he thought was going to win the next night. Very few pundits believed that the “Pac-Man” could topple De La Hoya going into that contest.
Valero calmly explained- to the shock of Alcorta- that this was an easy fight for Pacquiao and that he would be wagering big on him. He said during his time in camp as a sparring partner for Oscar in Big Bear, he could not miss him with his left-hand. And that, while he felt his left had more jolt than Pacquiao’s, the Filipino was much faster and quicker with his. He believed that Pacquiao would not be able to miss with that weapon. He also clarified something that was brought up in that “24/7” for that promotion, it was he, not Victor Ortiz, that blackened De La Hoya’s eyes during sparring. But because he was not a Golden Boy fighter, he wasn’t given credit for it and he was soon jettisoned from that camp. Something he had harsh feelings about.
He turned out to be a prophet, as Pacquiao- based largely on the utilization of his left hand- was able to dominate De La Hoya and stopped him after eight one-sided innings. I believe that was also the night when he was busted for a DUI on the strip.
Unfortunately for Valero, it seemed to be just the beginning of his problems.
STICKS AND STONES
I read that Shane Mosley’s attorney, Judd Burstein, isn’t too thrilled with the coverage given by the New York Daily News over the YouTube video released by Victor Conte, of his client admitting to his knowledge of EPO before his rematch with De La Hoya in 2003. He reportedly sent out this email to one of the stories co-authors, Nathaniel Vinton: "Nate, there will come a day when I have an opportunity to do serious harm to your career. You may not know it, at the time, that it was me, but when you end up with your job lost, reputation destroyed, I will call you to tell you it was me."
And this was perhaps one of the more tame things Burstein said about Vinton.
OK, but one question- just how does stuff like this aid Mosley, right about now?
SO CAL SCHEDULE
On Thursday night at the Club Nokia at L.A. Live, another edition of the “Fight Night Club” will be staged by Golden Boy Promotions. On Friday night, Thompson Boxing Promotions returns to the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, California, followed by the big show the next evening at the CBBA.
I plan on pulling a trifecta. Hey, it’s my job; it’s what I do.
FINAL FLURRIES
Arreola-Adamek will take place after Alfredo Angulo and Joel Julio slug it out to begin the HBO telecast. “Ring of Fire” is what they are calling this show. Tickets are priced at $250, $100, $70 and $35. They can be purchased on www.Ticketmaster.com or the Citizens Business Bank Arena box-office (for more info, log onto CBBankArena.com)...There is an incredibly sad irony to this being the 25th anniversary of the classic battle between Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns and Hearns now being broke and having to auction off his belongings...Mosley’s trainer Naazim Richardson is the best thing to happen to this edition of “24/7”...Seriously, did HBO refer to Danny Jacobs and Fernando Guerrero as “top middleweights”? That’s a tad premature, in my opinion. But they are with Al Haymon, which it seems is their main qualification...I know Lucian Bute doesn’t have all that many options at 168, but please tell me that Bernard Hopkins isn’t one of them. Haven’t we had enough of him?...When did Kevin Garnett turn into such a phony tough guy? Geez, I used to be a big fan of KG...So Kanye West is the reason why Reggie Bush ran out on Kim Kardashian? (All the juicy details are on Mediatakeout.com). In the long run, Reg may have gotten lucky. Hey, you ain’t gonna tie him down...This week’s edition of “The Main Event” featured Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer and Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole...Any questions or comments can be directed to k9kim@yahoo.com and you can follow me at www.twitter.com.stevemaxboxing. You can also become a Facebook fan of Maxboxing at www.facebook.com/MaxBoxing
Source: secondsout.com
On Saturday night at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California, the main event featured on HBO will be a heavyweight tussle between Chris Arreola and Tomasz Adamek. Based on track record, this battle looks to be among the most fan-friendly fights that can be made in the often dreary heavyweight division.
Arreola is a straight ahead banger who relies more on brawn than finesse in the ring, while Adamek, from his days as a light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion, has a history of being involved in slugfests. But Arreola, who will hold a sizable weight advantage on the Polish star, doesn’t believe that Adamek will sit and trade with him, at least not initially.
"No, I don’t expect him to bang with me at all. If he didn’t bang with Jason Estrada, who’s not a banger, can’t pop a grape, you expect him to bang with me? Exactly," reasoned Arreola. "So I don’t forsee that at all. But you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. He’s going to resort to his old stuff eventually. After a couple of rounds, four or five rounds, he’s going to have to go and bang."
While it’s true that eventually you’ll most likely revert to what you do best- which, in Adamek’s case, is stalking his prey and punching them out- it’s a whole different ballgame when you’re going up against much bigger men. Against Estrada in February, Adamek fought in a calculated manner. Arreola says he saw a boxer who cannot deal with a legitimate, 21st century heavyweight." No, not at all. Like I said, I wouldn’t be afraid of Estrada, I’d be in there banging with him. Estrada is not a puncher. Nothing about him says, ’Hey, I’m a puncher.’ It’s hit-and-go. And that’s what he was doing. You know I wouldn’t fear Estrada."
If that’s the case, then can Arreola lure Adamek into a firefight?
"I’m hoping for it, but y’ know what? Honestly, I’m going to make it that fight. Not him- I am, because he’s not that kind of fighter. He’s really going to try to run from me. I guarantee you from the bell, he’s going to jab and run, jab and run. That’s exactly what he’s going to do. And y’ know what? I’m going to come and bring the fight to him and make him fight and eventually, he’s going to have no choice but to fight me," said Arreola, who has a record of 28-1 with 25 knockouts. To prepare for the expected movement, his main sparring partner was Fres Oquendo.
His strength and conditioning coach, Daryl Hudson says, "The things that we’re focused on, is for Chris to be more agile, quicker. We really emphasized quickness and agility, to the level of effectiveness, that the level of sparring that we’re bringing in, he has to exercise those things, as well." A constant storyline with Arreola will always be his weight. It wasn’t that long ago he was fighting at 235 pounds (when he faced Malcolm Tann in 2007), to weighing in over 260, like he did for his last outing versus Brian Minto in December. But his team swears that he is a changed man after his loss to Vitali Klitschko last September. "Since then, he has mentioned to me that he finally watched the Klitschko fight,” Hudson continued. “I don’t know what prompted him to watch it; you know how fighters are after a devastating loss like that- because it was devastating to him- but the work we had been doing, was the work we just mentioned, agility, quickness, things of that nature. We were out working and warming up on the track one day, and he mentioned that he watched the fight and I think he now realizes that he can’t just run over people, plow them over and expect someone to step to him. He’s going to have to be a boxer, as well."
His often-times frustrated trainer, Henry Ramirez, insists that they have had a productive stretch out in Riverside, where they both hail from.
"Yes, very much so. An average training camp is eight weeks and so I tried to make this one a ten-week camp, with certain things in mind about Chris...let’s just leave it at that," said Ramirez, laughing. Those “certain things” are no small secret throughout boxing circles. The man likes his beer; he likes to eat large portions of food and has been known to simply disappear for a day or three during the lead-up to a fight.
Is he really a changed man after the loss to Klitschko?
"I would think so," said Ramirez, "I would certainly hope so. The Minto fight obviously wasn’t an example of that but, no matter what, people are going to judge him on what he weighs. That’s the reality. They’re going to assume that if he’s a certain weight, he’s in great shape or not in great shape. I’ll tell you this; he’s going to be under 245. So I guess in some people’s mind, they’re going to see him as being in superb shape."
But yes, there are still those…ahem…”certain things” with Arreola.
"There are moments; it’s just Chris," said Hudson, with a laugh. "It’s just his nature. Y’ know, with fighters, nothing should surprise you with them. They are who they are. They go through where they question themselves and it’s like a moment of truth. Every fighter- I don’t care who the opponent is- they tend to question themselves. But one thing about Chris is, when it’s time to step in-between the squared circle, he’s ready to fight and he’s gonna fight." Hudson believes that the indiscretions will lesson with time. "Yes, I think it will. What he’s doing now is, you see him execute the drills, the agility and the movement, the quickness, the double-jab, the triple-jab, things that we work on. Stepping, pushing off and you see him execute in sparring. That’s a beautiful thing when you see a fighter take what he learned into the ring."
For Arreola, less is more. When asked how much better his client is closer to 240 than 260, Hudson says, "On a level of one-to-ten, 260 being one, ten is 240. Even in the ’50s now, he’s moving like he’s in the ’40s. Just imagine when we get nine, ten pounds off of him within the next two weeks."
Regarding alcohol consumption, the big fella says, "I cut that off, now going on four weeks." Not even one beer? "No beer, no nothing." That had to be the most difficult vice for him to give up, right? "No," he clarified, "that’s not difficult. The most difficult thing is cutting out..." Uh, let’s just say it’s that thing that supposedly kills a fighter’s legs. "Yeah, exactly," said Arreola, chuckling.
So when it’s all said and done, will the leather fly on Saturday night?
"I would hope so, I mean, that’s what people are looking towards this fight," said Ramirez. "The fight that people want to see, and that gets this fight some of the press and people excited, is the assumption that Adamek is going to be Adamek. Chris is going to be Chris. Is Adamek going to be himself? I know that they’re going to try to box, initially. But like I told you before, I just think he’s a fighter at heart and at some point in this dog fight, he’ll resort to being the old Tomasz Adamek, exciting and a brawler, basically."
We hope so.
GHOST BUSTED
At the end of eight rounds on Saturday night at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, it seemed that Kelly Pavlik had things where he wanted them against Sergio Martinez. After getting out-boxed and out-quicked during the early rounds, he had seemingly figured out the riddle that was Martinez, who suffered a mid-round knockdown and seem to be fading a bit. It was at this point, you figured that the naturally bigger and stronger Pavlik would come on and wear down “Maravilla.” All the momentum was with Pavlik, at this point.
But in an interesting fight that played out in three stages, the last portion of the fight was taken by Martinez, who just seemed to grit his teeth and was determined not to be the recipient of another close, questionable call in the States. He got his second wind and started darting in and out and around Pavlik, then peppered him with sharp punches that cut Pavlik around both eyes and left him with a mask of crimson, by night’s end. The only thing that could save Pavlik this night was judges from Nevada, but being that they were about 3,000 miles away, he would get no such aid. Ultimately, Martinez won a well-deserved unanimous decision and distinction as the middleweight champion of the world.
Martinez was every bit the stylistic problem most had envisioned for Pavlik. But what was really striking to me was the lack of snap and torque in Pavlik’s punches and his inability to pull the trigger with any quickness or velocity. He’s still a heavy-handed guy, but I haven’t seen his offensive arsenal that made him so dangerous since 2007. Pavlik’s never been fleet of foot or a speed merchant, but he just looks like a fighter who’s movement looks so labored and forced. I know some will, of course, blame his trainer, Jack Loew, but to me, this is really about the thoroughbred and not the jockey. Pavlik has gone backwards physically at a time in his career when you think he should be in his prime.
I’m left wondering if the Pavlik who first captured the title from Jermain Taylor was the best version of him we’ll ever see. The future is certainly murky for the pride of Youngstown, Ohio, whose support in his hometown had waned before this latest setback. He has a rematch clause, but Martinez will simply present the same problems all over again and, next time around, armed with the confidence that he can defeat Pavlik.
But this was also a loss for the business of boxing, which needs all the ticket sellers it can get. Atlantic City has been looking for the next Arturo Gatti to be its flagship fighter and it was hoped that Pavlik would fill that void. But on Saturday night, Pavlik was unable to pull out a dramatic victory under the same circumstance that Gatti did on a regular basis.
And because of that, the search is still on.
VALERO
Like everyone else that follows boxing, I was hit with the disturbing news on Sunday morning that WBC lightweight champion Edwin Valero had allegedly stabbed his wife to death in his home country of Venezuela. I’m shocked but, then again, I’m not all that shocked. Valero’s life was turbulent, to say the least, and you just had a feeling it wasn’t going to end well. But I didn’t think the downfall would be to this extreme.
I remember getting introduced to a young Valero in the summer of 2004 by Joe Hernandez, who believed this young, dynamic, raw puncher had a chance to be a champion. I certainly didn’t follow him to the degree that my then-Max-colleague Doug Fischer did, but I enjoyed a friendly and cordial relationship with him, since that point. To him, I was that Asian guy who worked with the pony-tailed fellow who always interviewed him.
My last real interaction came with Valero the night before Manny Pacquiao faced Oscar De La Hoya on December 5th, 2008, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. He was with my friend Ray Alcorta of Top Rank, who had actually promoted some shows in Maywood, California, where Valero made his American debut, and was still pretty close with him. I was invited by them to have dinner at the Studio Cafe at the MGM Grand. We were with a group of about six or seven people, with Valero, Alcorta and me at the very end of the table. Valero speaks very little English, but I asked him through Alcorta, who he thought was going to win the next night. Very few pundits believed that the “Pac-Man” could topple De La Hoya going into that contest.
Valero calmly explained- to the shock of Alcorta- that this was an easy fight for Pacquiao and that he would be wagering big on him. He said during his time in camp as a sparring partner for Oscar in Big Bear, he could not miss him with his left-hand. And that, while he felt his left had more jolt than Pacquiao’s, the Filipino was much faster and quicker with his. He believed that Pacquiao would not be able to miss with that weapon. He also clarified something that was brought up in that “24/7” for that promotion, it was he, not Victor Ortiz, that blackened De La Hoya’s eyes during sparring. But because he was not a Golden Boy fighter, he wasn’t given credit for it and he was soon jettisoned from that camp. Something he had harsh feelings about.
He turned out to be a prophet, as Pacquiao- based largely on the utilization of his left hand- was able to dominate De La Hoya and stopped him after eight one-sided innings. I believe that was also the night when he was busted for a DUI on the strip.
Unfortunately for Valero, it seemed to be just the beginning of his problems.
STICKS AND STONES
I read that Shane Mosley’s attorney, Judd Burstein, isn’t too thrilled with the coverage given by the New York Daily News over the YouTube video released by Victor Conte, of his client admitting to his knowledge of EPO before his rematch with De La Hoya in 2003. He reportedly sent out this email to one of the stories co-authors, Nathaniel Vinton: "Nate, there will come a day when I have an opportunity to do serious harm to your career. You may not know it, at the time, that it was me, but when you end up with your job lost, reputation destroyed, I will call you to tell you it was me."
And this was perhaps one of the more tame things Burstein said about Vinton.
OK, but one question- just how does stuff like this aid Mosley, right about now?
SO CAL SCHEDULE
On Thursday night at the Club Nokia at L.A. Live, another edition of the “Fight Night Club” will be staged by Golden Boy Promotions. On Friday night, Thompson Boxing Promotions returns to the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, California, followed by the big show the next evening at the CBBA.
I plan on pulling a trifecta. Hey, it’s my job; it’s what I do.
FINAL FLURRIES
Arreola-Adamek will take place after Alfredo Angulo and Joel Julio slug it out to begin the HBO telecast. “Ring of Fire” is what they are calling this show. Tickets are priced at $250, $100, $70 and $35. They can be purchased on www.Ticketmaster.com or the Citizens Business Bank Arena box-office (for more info, log onto CBBankArena.com)...There is an incredibly sad irony to this being the 25th anniversary of the classic battle between Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns and Hearns now being broke and having to auction off his belongings...Mosley’s trainer Naazim Richardson is the best thing to happen to this edition of “24/7”...Seriously, did HBO refer to Danny Jacobs and Fernando Guerrero as “top middleweights”? That’s a tad premature, in my opinion. But they are with Al Haymon, which it seems is their main qualification...I know Lucian Bute doesn’t have all that many options at 168, but please tell me that Bernard Hopkins isn’t one of them. Haven’t we had enough of him?...When did Kevin Garnett turn into such a phony tough guy? Geez, I used to be a big fan of KG...So Kanye West is the reason why Reggie Bush ran out on Kim Kardashian? (All the juicy details are on Mediatakeout.com). In the long run, Reg may have gotten lucky. Hey, you ain’t gonna tie him down...This week’s edition of “The Main Event” featured Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer and Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole...Any questions or comments can be directed to k9kim@yahoo.com and you can follow me at www.twitter.com.stevemaxboxing. You can also become a Facebook fan of Maxboxing at www.facebook.com/MaxBoxing
Source: secondsout.com
Promoter Arum was grooming Valero for Pacquiao clash -- Washington Post
By Larry Fine, Reuters
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Venezuelan boxer Edwin Valero, who committed suicide on Monday in a jail where he was held for killing his wife, was a "sensational" fighter who was being groomed to fight Manny Pacquiao, promoter Bob Arum said.
Arum, who co-promoted Valero's last two bouts, told Reuters that Valero (27-0) would have made an outstanding opponent for world welterweight champion Pacquiao, another of his fighters.
"He was a sensational fighter, sensational," Arum said in an interview from his Las Vegas office. "He was just electric. A complete crowd-pleasing style.
"I was grooming him as a great future opponent for Manny Pacquiao. That would have been a sensational fight."
Valero, 28, was the World Boxing Council lightweight title though it had recently declared him "champion in recess" after being detained in March for mistreating his wife and then receiving treatment for alcohol abuse.
Arum said he did not know Valero very well, but despite hearing rumors of drug and alcohol troubles for the Venezuelan had not seen evidence of that himself during several meetings.
"The times I met with him, he was very polite, very reasonable," Arum said.
"I had heard stories about drug and alcohol abuse ... but I never realized the magnitude of it.
"The few times I met with him he seemed perfectly normal."
(Editing by Greg Stutchbury)
Source: washingtonpost.com
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Venezuelan boxer Edwin Valero, who committed suicide on Monday in a jail where he was held for killing his wife, was a "sensational" fighter who was being groomed to fight Manny Pacquiao, promoter Bob Arum said.
Arum, who co-promoted Valero's last two bouts, told Reuters that Valero (27-0) would have made an outstanding opponent for world welterweight champion Pacquiao, another of his fighters.
"He was a sensational fighter, sensational," Arum said in an interview from his Las Vegas office. "He was just electric. A complete crowd-pleasing style.
"I was grooming him as a great future opponent for Manny Pacquiao. That would have been a sensational fight."
Valero, 28, was the World Boxing Council lightweight title though it had recently declared him "champion in recess" after being detained in March for mistreating his wife and then receiving treatment for alcohol abuse.
Arum said he did not know Valero very well, but despite hearing rumors of drug and alcohol troubles for the Venezuelan had not seen evidence of that himself during several meetings.
"The times I met with him, he was very polite, very reasonable," Arum said.
"I had heard stories about drug and alcohol abuse ... but I never realized the magnitude of it.
"The few times I met with him he seemed perfectly normal."
(Editing by Greg Stutchbury)
Source: washingtonpost.com
Edwin Valero's final KOs: Murders wife, then commits suicide in jail -- Examiner
By Michael Marley, Examiner.com
He was a monster in the ring and he was a monster outside of it.
That is the personal and professional epitaph for the destructive, lefthanded whirlwind they called "Dinamita" or "El Inca," meaning WBC lightweight champion Edwin Valero.
On Sunday morning, in a hotel in Venezuela's third largest city, Valencia, he took a knife and thrust it at least three times into the body of his pretty, 24 year old wife Jennifer Carolina, killing her.
Then Valero went down to the hotel lobby and confessed his crime to hotel security. Cops were called and Valero was whisked to the local jail.
To complete this Shakespearean tragedy, to make it really final in leaving their two little children as literal orphans, Valero then hanged himself in his jail cell, a fact confirmed early Monday by his jailers.
What devils inhabited the tortured mind of this serious slugger who ran off 19 successive first round KOs and whose overall pro record was 27-0 with a perfect batting average of 27 knockouts?
Was he suffering from the brain which was damaged years ago, just before he embarked on his pro ring career, in a bad motorcycle accident. That damage showed up on a brain scan when he was fighting for Oscar de la Hoya's Golden Boy and they were trying to display his talent on HBO in a bout from a former bank in midtown Manhattan?
Edwin Valero and his wife, both now dead; Jennifer Carolina murdered by her husband, he killed himself in Venezuelan jail cell (El Nuevao Dia, Venezuela Photo)
As a result of that brain scan, the New York State Athletic Commission properly banned Valero from that fight.
If it wasn't roid rage, for which he seemed to show all the symptoms, was it his wild alcohol and/or drug binges?
The incidents of violent behavior just kept piling up and yet people around him, including family members, kept making excuses for Valero, rationalizing the 28 year old's behavior.
It was only two weeks ago that promoter Bob Arum, completely frustrated with Valero's antisocial behavior even as Arum spent money trying to get his visa cleaned up so the boxer could come to the United States, told me that Valero was acting "in a bizarre" manner.
Arum said he had trouble getting accurate information from anybody close to the boxer.
The stories out of Venezuela kept getting nuttier and nuttier.
It was said Valero assaulted his own wife and sister, something he adamantly denied and blamed on a jealous neighbor.
No charges were filed.
He beat up his lovely wife and she wound up in a hospital with a collapsed lung and multiple bruises.
That, too, was excused and, as I wrote only sarcastically, I suppose the wife slipped on the proverbial roller skate and banana peel on the stairs at their home.
Valero was said to be going to anger management, Then it was said a judge had ordered him to go booze rehab, to dry himself out and get clean and sober.
One news report said Valero would spend six months in rehab, just to be sure his pattern of behavior would change.
Some whackadoodle lawyer representing him contradicted that, telling news media Valero only need to dry out for a weekend.
Then came a report that he would go to Cuba to train for a fight although he had none scheduled as Arum and the the Los Angeles immigration lawyer he retained, Frank Ronzio, tried to find a way around the border ban which was based on a DWI case from Las Vegas.
Ironically, that DWI arrest occurred in Vegas the very night, last May 2, that Valero;s ultimate target, Manny Pacquiao, was hammering Ricky Hatton into submission.
Then there was an auto accident involving Valero and confusion surrounded those circumstances as well.
Now, it was said, the Cuba trip was off and Valero would stay in his homeland.
Stay he did and he had his wife went to Valencia.
Maybe someone can explain to me why the often enraged Valero was allowed anywhere near his wife after beating her up so badly that a lung was collapsed.
Don't they have such a thing as stay away orders, orders of protection, to combat domestic violence in Venezuela? I don't know but I will ask the questions.
Who was supposed to give Valero guidance, who would help him battle his demons?
Now she is dead and he is dead.
Pray for those two children, I guess.
One thing is for sure, and that is even though he is gone, knocked himself out of life, the damage perpetrated by Edwin Valero will continue.
His final record? You could say 29-0, all by KO, and the worst damage was inflicted at the end.
They may be too young to comprehend it now, those precious children, but someday they will have to contend with psychic demons themselves.
(mlcmarley@aol.com)
Source: examiner.com
He was a monster in the ring and he was a monster outside of it.
That is the personal and professional epitaph for the destructive, lefthanded whirlwind they called "Dinamita" or "El Inca," meaning WBC lightweight champion Edwin Valero.
On Sunday morning, in a hotel in Venezuela's third largest city, Valencia, he took a knife and thrust it at least three times into the body of his pretty, 24 year old wife Jennifer Carolina, killing her.
Then Valero went down to the hotel lobby and confessed his crime to hotel security. Cops were called and Valero was whisked to the local jail.
To complete this Shakespearean tragedy, to make it really final in leaving their two little children as literal orphans, Valero then hanged himself in his jail cell, a fact confirmed early Monday by his jailers.
What devils inhabited the tortured mind of this serious slugger who ran off 19 successive first round KOs and whose overall pro record was 27-0 with a perfect batting average of 27 knockouts?
Was he suffering from the brain which was damaged years ago, just before he embarked on his pro ring career, in a bad motorcycle accident. That damage showed up on a brain scan when he was fighting for Oscar de la Hoya's Golden Boy and they were trying to display his talent on HBO in a bout from a former bank in midtown Manhattan?
Edwin Valero and his wife, both now dead; Jennifer Carolina murdered by her husband, he killed himself in Venezuelan jail cell (El Nuevao Dia, Venezuela Photo)
As a result of that brain scan, the New York State Athletic Commission properly banned Valero from that fight.
If it wasn't roid rage, for which he seemed to show all the symptoms, was it his wild alcohol and/or drug binges?
The incidents of violent behavior just kept piling up and yet people around him, including family members, kept making excuses for Valero, rationalizing the 28 year old's behavior.
It was only two weeks ago that promoter Bob Arum, completely frustrated with Valero's antisocial behavior even as Arum spent money trying to get his visa cleaned up so the boxer could come to the United States, told me that Valero was acting "in a bizarre" manner.
Arum said he had trouble getting accurate information from anybody close to the boxer.
The stories out of Venezuela kept getting nuttier and nuttier.
It was said Valero assaulted his own wife and sister, something he adamantly denied and blamed on a jealous neighbor.
No charges were filed.
He beat up his lovely wife and she wound up in a hospital with a collapsed lung and multiple bruises.
That, too, was excused and, as I wrote only sarcastically, I suppose the wife slipped on the proverbial roller skate and banana peel on the stairs at their home.
Valero was said to be going to anger management, Then it was said a judge had ordered him to go booze rehab, to dry himself out and get clean and sober.
One news report said Valero would spend six months in rehab, just to be sure his pattern of behavior would change.
Some whackadoodle lawyer representing him contradicted that, telling news media Valero only need to dry out for a weekend.
Then came a report that he would go to Cuba to train for a fight although he had none scheduled as Arum and the the Los Angeles immigration lawyer he retained, Frank Ronzio, tried to find a way around the border ban which was based on a DWI case from Las Vegas.
Ironically, that DWI arrest occurred in Vegas the very night, last May 2, that Valero;s ultimate target, Manny Pacquiao, was hammering Ricky Hatton into submission.
Then there was an auto accident involving Valero and confusion surrounded those circumstances as well.
Now, it was said, the Cuba trip was off and Valero would stay in his homeland.
Stay he did and he had his wife went to Valencia.
Maybe someone can explain to me why the often enraged Valero was allowed anywhere near his wife after beating her up so badly that a lung was collapsed.
Don't they have such a thing as stay away orders, orders of protection, to combat domestic violence in Venezuela? I don't know but I will ask the questions.
Who was supposed to give Valero guidance, who would help him battle his demons?
Now she is dead and he is dead.
Pray for those two children, I guess.
One thing is for sure, and that is even though he is gone, knocked himself out of life, the damage perpetrated by Edwin Valero will continue.
His final record? You could say 29-0, all by KO, and the worst damage was inflicted at the end.
They may be too young to comprehend it now, those precious children, but someday they will have to contend with psychic demons themselves.
(mlcmarley@aol.com)
Source: examiner.com
Venezuela boxer Edwin Valero found hanged in cell -- BBC News
BBC News
Champion Venezuelan boxer Edwin Valero has been found dead in a police cell after being detained for killing his wife.
Police chief Wilmer Flores said Valero, 28, had tied his clothes to a cell bar and hanged himself.
The boxer was arrested after police officers found the body of his 24-year-old wife Jennifer Viera in a hotel in the city of Valencia.
He had held the WBA super featherweight and WBC lightweight titles.
Nicknamed "The Inca", Valero was well-known in Venezuela.
He had an image of President Hugo Chavez tattooed on his chest, along with the country's flag.
Mr Flores said Valero was found hanging by another inmate, who alerted the authorities. The police chief said the boxer had shown signs of life but that officers were unable to revive him.
Source: news.bbc.co.uk
Champion Venezuelan boxer Edwin Valero has been found dead in a police cell after being detained for killing his wife.
Police chief Wilmer Flores said Valero, 28, had tied his clothes to a cell bar and hanged himself.
The boxer was arrested after police officers found the body of his 24-year-old wife Jennifer Viera in a hotel in the city of Valencia.
He had held the WBA super featherweight and WBC lightweight titles.
Nicknamed "The Inca", Valero was well-known in Venezuela.
He had an image of President Hugo Chavez tattooed on his chest, along with the country's flag.
Mr Flores said Valero was found hanging by another inmate, who alerted the authorities. The police chief said the boxer had shown signs of life but that officers were unable to revive him.
Source: news.bbc.co.uk
Police: boxer Edwin Valero kills self in jail -- Associated Press
By FABIOLA SANCHEZ, The Associated Press
CARACAS, Venezuela — Former boxing champ Edwin Valero committed suicide in his jail cell on Monday just hours after he was arrested in his wife's killing, police said.
The former lightweight champion used his own clothes to hang himself in his cell early Monday, Venezuelan Federal Police Chief Wilmer Flores told reporters. He said Valero tied his clothes to a cell bar to hang himself.
He said Valero was found by another inmate, who alerted authorities in the police lockup in north-central Carabobo state. Valero still showed signs of life, but they were unable to save him, Flores said.
The 28-year-old was detained Sunday on suspicion of killing his wife, the gravest in a string of problems that had threatened to derail his career. Prosecutors said Sunday night that they had planned to charge Valero after they found the body of his 24-year-old wife in a hotel in Valencia.
The boxer left the hotel room around dawn Sunday and allegedly told security he had killed Jennifer Viera, Flores said.
The fighter was a household name in Venezuela and had a huge image of President Hugo Chavez tattooed on his chest, along with the country's yellow, blue and red flag.
His all-action style and 27-0 record — all by knockouts — earned him a reputation as a tough, explosive crowd-pleaser. Venezuelans called him "Inca," alluding to an Indian warrior, while elsewhere he was called "Dinamita," or dynamite.
The former WBA super featherweight and WBC lightweight champion had been in trouble with the law before.
Last month, Valero was charged with harassing his wife and threatening medical personnel who treated her at a hospital in the western city of Merida. Police arrested Valero following an argument with a doctor and nurse at the hospital, where his wife was being treated for a series of injuries, including a punctured lung and broken ribs.
The Attorney General's Office said in a statement that Valero was detained March 25 on suspicion of assaulting his wife, but his wife told a police officer her injuries were due to a fall. When the boxer arrived moments later, he forbade Viera from speaking to the police officer, and spoke threateningly to the officer, prosecutors said in a statement.
The Attorney General's Office said a prosecutor had asked a court to order Valero jailed but that the judge instead placed him under a restraining order that barred him from going near his wife, a condition he repeatedly violated.
Associated Press Writer Jorge Rueda contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Source: google.com
CARACAS, Venezuela — Former boxing champ Edwin Valero committed suicide in his jail cell on Monday just hours after he was arrested in his wife's killing, police said.
The former lightweight champion used his own clothes to hang himself in his cell early Monday, Venezuelan Federal Police Chief Wilmer Flores told reporters. He said Valero tied his clothes to a cell bar to hang himself.
He said Valero was found by another inmate, who alerted authorities in the police lockup in north-central Carabobo state. Valero still showed signs of life, but they were unable to save him, Flores said.
The 28-year-old was detained Sunday on suspicion of killing his wife, the gravest in a string of problems that had threatened to derail his career. Prosecutors said Sunday night that they had planned to charge Valero after they found the body of his 24-year-old wife in a hotel in Valencia.
The boxer left the hotel room around dawn Sunday and allegedly told security he had killed Jennifer Viera, Flores said.
The fighter was a household name in Venezuela and had a huge image of President Hugo Chavez tattooed on his chest, along with the country's yellow, blue and red flag.
His all-action style and 27-0 record — all by knockouts — earned him a reputation as a tough, explosive crowd-pleaser. Venezuelans called him "Inca," alluding to an Indian warrior, while elsewhere he was called "Dinamita," or dynamite.
The former WBA super featherweight and WBC lightweight champion had been in trouble with the law before.
Last month, Valero was charged with harassing his wife and threatening medical personnel who treated her at a hospital in the western city of Merida. Police arrested Valero following an argument with a doctor and nurse at the hospital, where his wife was being treated for a series of injuries, including a punctured lung and broken ribs.
The Attorney General's Office said in a statement that Valero was detained March 25 on suspicion of assaulting his wife, but his wife told a police officer her injuries were due to a fall. When the boxer arrived moments later, he forbade Viera from speaking to the police officer, and spoke threateningly to the officer, prosecutors said in a statement.
The Attorney General's Office said a prosecutor had asked a court to order Valero jailed but that the judge instead placed him under a restraining order that barred him from going near his wife, a condition he repeatedly violated.
Associated Press Writer Jorge Rueda contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Source: google.com
Valero commits suicide -- Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Unbeaten champion Edwin Valero has committed suicide in jail just 24 hours after admitting to killing his wife.
The 28-year-old had been staying in a hotel in his native Venezuela when he alerted security in the early hours of Sunday morning that he had stabbed wife Jennifer three times.
Valero, who successfully defended his WBC lightweight title two months ago, was detained by police and had been expected to be charged with the murder.
However, he was found by a fellow inmate on Monday morning having tied his own clothes to a bar of his cell in an attempt to hang himself.
Valero, who was on the verge of the big time following 27 successive stoppage victories, still showed signs of life but authorities were unable to revive him.
The fighter had become a household name in Venezuela but had been in trouble with the law on several occasions, notably last month when he was charged with harassing his wife and threatening medical personnel who treated her at a hospital.
Police arrested Valero following an argument with a doctor and nurse at the hospital, where his wife was being treated for a series of injuries, including a punctured lung and broken ribs.
The Attorney General's Office said a prosecutor had asked a court to order Valero to be jailed but that the judge instead placed him under a restraining order that barred him from going near his wife, a condition he repeatedly violated.
Source: skysports.com
Unbeaten champion Edwin Valero has committed suicide in jail just 24 hours after admitting to killing his wife.
The 28-year-old had been staying in a hotel in his native Venezuela when he alerted security in the early hours of Sunday morning that he had stabbed wife Jennifer three times.
Valero, who successfully defended his WBC lightweight title two months ago, was detained by police and had been expected to be charged with the murder.
However, he was found by a fellow inmate on Monday morning having tied his own clothes to a bar of his cell in an attempt to hang himself.
Valero, who was on the verge of the big time following 27 successive stoppage victories, still showed signs of life but authorities were unable to revive him.
The fighter had become a household name in Venezuela but had been in trouble with the law on several occasions, notably last month when he was charged with harassing his wife and threatening medical personnel who treated her at a hospital.
Police arrested Valero following an argument with a doctor and nurse at the hospital, where his wife was being treated for a series of injuries, including a punctured lung and broken ribs.
The Attorney General's Office said a prosecutor had asked a court to order Valero to be jailed but that the judge instead placed him under a restraining order that barred him from going near his wife, a condition he repeatedly violated.
Source: skysports.com
Edwin Valero kills himself after arrest for wife's murder, say police -- The Guardian
guardian.co.uk
Edwin Valero, the suspended WBC lightweight champion, has killed himself in jail just hours after being arrested on suspicion of his wife's murder, according to police.
Venezuela's Federal Police Chief Wilmer Flores said Valero used his own clothes to hang himself in his cell early today. The boxer had been arrested after police found the body of his wife in a hotel in the Venezuelan city of Valencia.
Flores said Valero left the hotel room around dawn yesterday and allegedly told the hotel's security personnel that he had killed her. Valero's lawyer, Milda Mora, did not immediately answer telephone calls seeking comment.
Valero, with a record of 27-0, was suspended by the WBC lightweight in February. He was arrested last month on charges of harassing his wife and threatening hospital staff treating her for a punctured lung and broken ribs. He then went into drug and alcohol rehabilitation.
Source: guardian.co.uk
Edwin Valero, the suspended WBC lightweight champion, has killed himself in jail just hours after being arrested on suspicion of his wife's murder, according to police.
Venezuela's Federal Police Chief Wilmer Flores said Valero used his own clothes to hang himself in his cell early today. The boxer had been arrested after police found the body of his wife in a hotel in the Venezuelan city of Valencia.
Flores said Valero left the hotel room around dawn yesterday and allegedly told the hotel's security personnel that he had killed her. Valero's lawyer, Milda Mora, did not immediately answer telephone calls seeking comment.
Valero, with a record of 27-0, was suspended by the WBC lightweight in February. He was arrested last month on charges of harassing his wife and threatening hospital staff treating her for a punctured lung and broken ribs. He then went into drug and alcohol rehabilitation.
Source: guardian.co.uk
Venezuelan boxing champ commits suicide - media -- Washington Post
By Reuters
CARACAS (Reuters) - Champion Venezuelan boxer Edwin Valero committed suicide in the early hours of Monday by hanging himself from the bars of a prison cell where he had been detained for killing his wife, local media said.
Valero, who had held the WBC lightweight title, was found in his cell with some signs of life but did not survive, police chief Wilmer Flores Trosel was quoted as telling reporters.
The 28-year-old, nicknamed "The Inca", was charged at the weekend with stabbing his wife to death in a room at the InterContinental Hotel in the city of Valencia.
Police said on Sunday that he had confessed to the crime and would be charged with murdering Jennifer Carolina Viera de Valero, 24.
Valero had a troubled start to 2010, detained in March for mistreating his wife and receiving treatment for alcohol problems. He was listed by the WBC as its "champion in recess" in the lightweight category.
Valero was a supporter of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. He had a Venezuelan flag with an image of Chavez tattooed on his chest, and he once shadow-boxed in jest with the Venezuelan leader during an event on live TV.
(Reporting by Andrew Cawthorne; editing by Paul Simao)
Source: washingtonpost.com
CARACAS (Reuters) - Champion Venezuelan boxer Edwin Valero committed suicide in the early hours of Monday by hanging himself from the bars of a prison cell where he had been detained for killing his wife, local media said.
Valero, who had held the WBC lightweight title, was found in his cell with some signs of life but did not survive, police chief Wilmer Flores Trosel was quoted as telling reporters.
The 28-year-old, nicknamed "The Inca", was charged at the weekend with stabbing his wife to death in a room at the InterContinental Hotel in the city of Valencia.
Police said on Sunday that he had confessed to the crime and would be charged with murdering Jennifer Carolina Viera de Valero, 24.
Valero had a troubled start to 2010, detained in March for mistreating his wife and receiving treatment for alcohol problems. He was listed by the WBC as its "champion in recess" in the lightweight category.
Valero was a supporter of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. He had a Venezuelan flag with an image of Chavez tattooed on his chest, and he once shadow-boxed in jest with the Venezuelan leader during an event on live TV.
(Reporting by Andrew Cawthorne; editing by Paul Simao)
Source: washingtonpost.com
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