The network is already announcing the lightweight showdown as its first Championship Boxing show of 2010. 6 and Showtime has agreed to televise the fight live in the U.S. However, if he can take care of Velazquez, the New Year brings the promise of a second chance.Ī fight with the mandatory challenger to Valero’s lightweight title, RING-rated Antonio DeMarco, has already been scheduled for Feb. It appeared that time was running out for Valero, who turned 28 on Dec. Returning to Venezuela, where he and his family are the target of assassination attempts because of his local notoriety and political views make some wonder whether Valero is a lost cause. then-undefeated Breidis Prescott in July for a reported $200,000 payday drew deserved criticism from fans and boxing writers. Turning down the opportunity to headline a ‘Latin Fury’ pay-per-view show vs. Dumping Adams as his trainer just a few weeks before the Pitalua fight left a lot insiders scratching their heads. Getting busted for drunk driving is making it very difficult for him to get his work visa in the U.S. Tattooing the mug of his country’s controversial president to his chest is probably the least of his bad choices.ĭrinking and then driving in Las Vegas the night before the Oscar De La Hoya-Pacquiao fight last December tops Valero’s list of poor decisions. We’re still friends because he’s a lovable guy, but he can get a little crazy sometimes and make bad choices.” “He’s actually very smart, but it’s a streetwise smart. He’s got an answer for everything but he doesn’t make much sense. When I saw that, I told him ‘Why’d you do that, man?’ But you can’t tell Valero nothing. It’s extreme enough to want your flag to cover your entire chest but Valero had to go and tattoo the head of (Venezuela’s) president (Hugo Chavez) on there, too. “That big tattoo of the Venezuelan flag he put on his chest is a prime example. He’s the kind of guy who needs to stay busy because, when he has time and he’s on his own, he does stupid things. “He has too much time between his fights. “He’s his own worst enemy,” said veteran trainer Ken Adams, who trained Valero for 14 months. It appears that poor judgment is Valero’s kryptonite. So what happened to the southpaw superhero? That’s right, Arum actually said Valero has super powers. “They can fight in any city in Mexico that (Marquez) wants because I believe that in Valero we have seen something really special, something out of the ordinary, something you don’t see very often, the emergence of a star that has super powers in both hands and can handle any lightweight in the world,” Arum said. “I really believe in my heart that Valero is the best lightweight in the world.”Īrum admitted that Juan Manuel Marquez might dispute his claim but proposed that the lightweight champ settle it the ring with Valero. “I had never seen Edwin Valero fight in person and this was a real treat,” Arum said at the post-fight press conference. Valero’s new promoter, Bob Arum, was on hand for the Pitalua stoppage and he was impressed. However, after controlling the first round with his speed and reflexes, Valero essentially ended the bout with a single right hook that seemed to prove his punching power - resulting in 18 consecutive first-round KOs to start his career - was no myth. Pitalua, a dangerous and durable veteran who had 40 knockouts among his 46 victories going into the fight, was viewed as a threat to Valero by many respected boxing writers. The fight, which was the main event of a small pay-per-view show, earned Valero his second major title and gave American fans a glimpse of his potential. state that has medically cleared him to fight in its jurisdiction because of an old head injury). That fight was Valero’s second-round demolition of Antonio Pitalua on April 4 in Austin, Texas (the only U.S. “We had plans for Valero, which included having him fight on the (Manny) Pacquiao-(Miguel) Cotto undercard,” said Carl Moretti, who joined Top Rank as the vice president of boxing operations one week after Valero’s first fight for the company. Had everything gone to plan this year, Valero might have had a high-enough profile to be considered a potential opponent for pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, who is also promoted by Top Rank. It’s a lousy situation for the dynamic lightweight and certainly not one that his promotional company, Top Rank, wanted for him. Making matters worse, Valero has been unable to get his visa renewed because of a DUI in the U.S. The fight, which will not be televised in the U.S., will do nothing to quiet his many skeptics. Valero (25-0, 25 knockouts) will defend his 135-pound title against undeserving challenger Hector Velazquez (51-13-2, 35 KOs) on Saturday in La Guaira, Venezuela.
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