Edwin Valero - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Edwin Valero was a Venezuelan

Venezuelan people

Venezuelan people are from a multiethnic nation in South America called Venezuela. Venezuelans are predominantly Roman Catholic and speak Spanish, and a majority of them are the result of a mixture of Europeans, Africans, and Amerindians.-Demography:...

professional boxer

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

. He was born in Bolero Alto, and raised in El Vigía (both locations in Mérida

Mérida (state)

Mérida State is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is Mérida.Mérida State covers a total surface area of 11,300 km² and, in 2007, had an estimated population of 843,800.- Climate and Vegetation :...

, Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

).

Valero was an undefeated southpaw boxer

Boxing

and former two weight world champion who fought up to light welterweight

Light welterweight

-Professional boxing:The light welterweight class is a weight division in professional boxing that has a limit of 63.5 kg or 140 pounds...

. His professional boxing record was 27-0 (27 KO

Knockout

A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...

s, 19 of which occurred in the first round). Valero was a former WBA

World Boxing Association

The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...

Super Featherweight champion and former WBC

World Boxing Council

The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...

Lightweight champion who was known by boxing fans for his aggressive style and punching power. He is the only fighter in the 30 years of the WBC to win every fight in his career by knockout.

Boxing career

Valero started boxing at the age of 12, arguably compiling an amateur record of 86-6 with 57 knockouts. He was a Venezuelan amateur champion three years running, as well as Central and South American Champion (beating Francisco "Panchito" Bojado).
It was during this time Valero started experimenting with drugs (mainly cocaine), drinking alcohol, starting fights with teenagers and even some adults. Valero grew to have a reputation in his home town as a fearless street thug.

On February 25, 2006, Valero set a new world record

World record

A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...

by winning his first 18 fights as a professional by first-round knockout. That record has since been broken by Tyrone Brunson

Tyrone Brunson (boxer)

Tyrone Brunson is an American boxer who fights in the middleweight division-Amateur career:Brunson hails from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and comes from a long line of middleweight boxers from the city. His amateur career extended over 90 fights, finishing with a record of 82-12...

, but most boxing experts and fans do not acknowledge Brunson's claim because of the extremely poor level of opposition he faced while making his way to the record. (In contrast to Valero's opponents, just one of Brunson’s 19 opponents had a winning record, and 6 had failed to win a single fight in their careers.) The previous record for consecutive first-round knockouts was 15 by Young Otto (record), who accomplished the feat in 1905. In Valero's nineteenth fight (March 25, 2006), Genaro Trazancos ended the first-round knockout streak by surviving until the second round.

Because of his punching power and perfect knockout ratio, he became the darling of boxing fans. His biggest backers in the sport included Doug Fischer of RingTV.com (who regularly covered Valero in his articles for the website which also aired videos of his workouts and sparring sessions) and Boxing Inside with Peter Palmiere. The Los Angeles local cable show also aired Valero's workouts, sparring sessions and interviews conducted by journalist

Journalist

A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...

Palmiere.

In his first attempt at a world title, Valero met WBA

World Boxing Association

Super Featherweight champion, Vicente "El Loco" Mosquera

Vicente Mosquera

Vicente Eduardo Mosquera Mena is a Panamanian professional boxer. He is a former World Boxing Association super-featherweight champion....

, on August 5, 2006, in what would arguably prove to be both boxers' toughest contest. Valero started out the match in signature fashion, knocking down the champion twice in the first round, but Mosquera recovered and in the third round and delivered his own knockdown (Valero's first and only.) At this point in his 19-0 career, Valero's longest fight had only been two rounds, and the question remained whether the untested Valero had the stamina to go the distance. The answer came after ten grueling rounds when the ever-tenacious Mosquera finally started to wane under the challenger's continuous heavy-handed counters. Deciding Mosquera had received enough punishment, the referee called a halt to the match at 2:00 of the 10th round, making the 24-year-old Valero champion. Valero would go on to successfully defend the title four times before moving up in weight class, with his final defense a 7th-round TKO victory over Takehiro Shimada in Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

on June 12, 2008.

On September 3, 2008, Valero vacated his WBA title to fight in the lightweight division.

On April 4, 2009, Valero fought Antonio Pitalua

Antonio Pitalúa

Antonio Pitalúa is a Colombian-Mexican boxer. His record is 48 wins and 4 losses. He captured the vacant interim WBC lightweight belt when he ko'd fellow Mexican José Armando Santa Cruz. Six months later he faced unbeaten knockout artist Edwin Valero he was down three times and the fight was...

for the vacant World Boxing Council

World Boxing Council

(WBC) Lightweight title at the Frank Erwin Center

Frank Erwin Center

Frank C. Erwin, Jr. Special Events Center, commonly known as Frank Erwin Center or UT Erwin Center, is a multi-purpose arena on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin...

in Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas

Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

. The bout marked the first time Valero had fought in the United States since 2003. Pitalua came in to the fight with 14 consecutive knockouts on his 46-3 record, and with Valero's 24 consecutive knockouts (24-0), the stage was set for a decisive match between two heavy hitters. After an uneventful first round, Valero knocked Pitalua down just seconds in to the second round with a right hook. Pitalua managed to get up, but suffered two more knockdowns before the referee stopped the fight at 0:49 of round 2.

Valero's next fight came on his home turf of Venezuela (in La Guaira

La Guaira

La Guaira is the capital city of the Venezuelan state of Vargas and the country's chief port. It was founded in 1577 as an outlet for Caracas, to the southeast. The town and the port were badly damaged during the December 1999 floods and mudslides that affected much of the region...

), where he successfully defended his new WBC

World Boxing Council

Lightweight title by a TKO victory over Hector Velasquez in the 7th round. Valero's second and final defense of the belt came against Antonio DeMarco in Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

on February 6, 2010. In the second round, Valero suffered a serious cut over his right eye after DeMarco landed an unintentional elbow. But Valero was able to continue the fight and went on to win by RTD

Referee technical decision

A referee technical decision is a term used in boxing when a fight ends because a fighter refuses to continue ....

when DeMarco failed to answer the bell for the 10th round. This would be Valero's last match.

In March 2010, Valero vacated his WBC Lightweight title in order to compete in the light welterweight

Light welterweight

-Professional boxing:The light welterweight class is a weight division in professional boxing that has a limit of 63.5 kg or 140 pounds...

division.

Valero's professional record at the time of his death was 27-0, making him one of the few world champions to finish his career undefeated (along with Rocky Marciano

Rocky Marciano

Rocky Marciano , born Rocco Francis Marchegiano, was an American boxer and the heavyweight champion of the world from September 23, 1952, to April 27, 1956. Marciano is the only champion to hold the heavyweight title and go undefeated throughout his career. Marciano defended his title six times...

, Ji Won Kim

Ji Won Kim

Ji-Won Kim was a South Korean boxer who was an unbeaten world champion in the super bantamweight division.-Amateur career:...

, Terry Marsh

Terry Marsh (boxer)

Terry Marsh is an English former professional boxer who was an undefeated world champion in the light welterweight division....

, Michael Loewe, Ricardo Lopez, Pichit Sitbangprachan

Pichit Sitbangprachan

Pichit Sithbanprachan also known as Supap Hanwichachai is a retired boxer in the Flyweight division. All 27 of his fights took place in his native Thailand.- Career history :...

, Harry Simon

Harry Simon (boxer)

Harry Simon is a professional boxer in the super welterweight division.- Amateur Highlights :As an amateur Simon represented Namibia as a welterweight at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain...

, Sven Ottke

Sven Ottke

Sven Ottke, known as "The Phantom", is a German former professional boxer who was the IBF/WBA super middleweight champion...

, and Joe Calzaghe

Joe Calzaghe

Joseph William Calzaghe, CBE, MBE is a Welsh former professional boxer. He is the former WBO, WBA, WBC, IBF, The Ring & British super middleweight champion and The Ring light heavyweight champion....

Career roadblocks

On February 5, 2001, Valero was involved in a severe motorcycle accident in which he wasn't wearing a helmet. He fractured his skull and had surgery to remove a blood clot. This injury was sustained prior to him launching his pro career, and it created roadblocks to major bodies sanctioning his fights. Valero claimed that his Venezuelan doctor cleared him to fight on January 17, 2002, and he turned pro that July with a first-round KO.

Valero appeared to hit the jackpot when he was signed after his 12th pro fight by Golden Boy Promotions

Golden Boy Promotions

Golden Boy Promotions, Inc. is a combat sport promotional firm started by former boxer six-division world champion Oscar De La Hoya...

. Valero was scheduled to appear on HBO's Boxing After Dark
Boxing After Dark
Boxing After Dark is an HBO boxing program, premiering in April 1996, that usually shows fights between well-known contenders, but usually not "championship" or "title" fights. Unlike its sister program, HBO World Championship Boxing, BAD features fighters who are usually moving up from ESPN's...

, but in January 2004, he failed an MRI due to brain scan irregularities in New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

and thus was not allowed to fight in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. As a result, the fight did not take place. He continued to fight outside the US and on March 25, 2008, Valero was cleared to box in the state of Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

Allegations of assault

It was reported on September 27, 2009, that Edwin Valero had been arrested on assault charges. A man alleged that the boxer attacked his mother and sister over a feud. Valero denied the allegations and considered them an attempt to harm his reputation. His mother came forward to tell the media that no foul play was involved.

On March 25, 2010, Valero was again accused of assault, this time by his wife, who was sent to hospital for bruises and a damaged lung. Valero denied any wrong-doing, stating his wife stumbled from a stairway but investigators doubted him. His wife later told authorities that her injuries were caused by an accident on some stairs, despite the fact that she had been treated for similar injuries twice before at the hospital. Because of the vicious personality he showed at the hospital where his wife was treated, Valero was sent for six months of psychiatric rehabilitation.

Murder charges and suicide

On April 18, 2010, Valero was arrested after police found the body of his 24-year-old wife, Jennifer, in a hotel in the city of Valencia, Carabobo. Valero was considered a suspect and was taken to jail.
Valero allegedly admitted to hotel security and police that he had murdered his wife. The following day he was found hanging in his prison cell, dead, at 1:30 AM. Conspiracy theories grew after a doctor who examined Valero's body voiced suspicions about the manner of Valero's death. Many speculated the police may have murdered Valero, but no proven evidence was found.

Professional boxing record

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="8"|27 Wins (27 Knockouts), 0 Losses, 0 Draws
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| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Notes
|-align=center
|Win||27-0||align=left|

Antonio DeMarco

Antonio de Marco Soto is a Mexican professional boxer and the current WBC Lightweight Champion. Antonio is a cousin of three division world champion Humberto Soto.-Lightweight:...

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Héctor Velázquez

Héctor Velázquez , is a Mexican boxer. He fights in the featherweight division.-Career:Velázquez began his professional career on 16 December 1993, beating fellow debutant José Guardado.-External links:...

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Antonio Pitalúa

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Takehiro Shimada
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Zaid Zavaleta
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Nobuhito Honmo
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Michael Lozada
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Vicente Mosquera

Vicente Eduardo Mosquera Mena is a Panamanian professional boxer. He is a former World Boxing Association super-featherweight champion....

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Genaro Trazancos
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Whyber Garcia
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Aram Ramazyan
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Hero Bando
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Jose Hernandez
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Esteban de Jesus Morales
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Hernan Abraham Valenzuela
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Tomas Zambrano
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Alejandro Heredia
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Roque Cassiani
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Emmanuel Ford
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Dairo Julio
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Edgar Mendoza
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Danny Sandoval
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Julio Pineda
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Luis Soto
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Angel Alirio Rivero
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Danny Sandoval
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Eduardo Hernandez
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Professional championships

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External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Boxing career

Career roadblocks

Allegations of assault

Murder charges and suicide

Professional boxing record

Professional championships

See also

External links