PAC, FLOYD, JMM, NOBODY CAN SPELL “V-A-L-E-R-O”
February 4th, 2010 By Kevin Perry
EDWIN VALERO: THE MOST AVOIDED FIGHTER TODAY!
Los Angeles, CA- Showtime finally comes through with another installment of it’s World Championship Boxing series Saturday when it features explosive power puncher, WBC lightweight (135 lbs) champion Edwin Valero (26-0, 26 KOs) of Venezuela versus Tijuana’s WBC interim champion Antonio DeMarco (23-1-1, 17 KOs). Valero is a relative unknown to the American public due to only fighting on US soil once in the last five years. He was denied a boxing license in 2004 after failing an MRI in New York. A brain injury from a motorcycle accident in 2001 led to the failed test.
VALERO GOT HIS “BONES” BEATING ON “EL TERRIBLE”
DeMarco, a regular on the Showtime Show Box series is probably his most difficult assignment yet. The lanky 5’10 southpaw is a boxer puncher, who is not known for having exceptional speed, but is solid technical fighter. This is an opportunity for both guys to rise to the top of the lightweight division. Valero’s stunning knockout ratio (100%) should make him a fan favorite in the US if he can dispose of the Mexican impressively and quickly. It’s a feat that many boxing experts anticipate and look forward to.
VIDEO OF EDWIN HURTING MORALES
Valero first gained notoriety as a sparring partner for former three time world champion Eric Morales (48-6, 34 KOs).
VALERO NOT A “NICE GUY” IN GYM
The Venezuelan has been known to put hurt on his sparring mates, and many think that same hurt will be applied to DeMarco who appears frail, but is a very capable prizefighter. His considerable height advantage over the shorter southpaw (5’7 ½) will be something he must utilize, and it would be wise to not get into a slugfest with the sometimes wide punches but powerful onslaughts of Valero. While each of the combatants is relatively unknown, both know how important it is to put on a fine performance in front of a national TV audience.
FIGHTS NO-NAMES BECAUSE THE NAMES ARE SCARED!
If Valero can win this fight with a highlight reel KO, he should have a spot on most mythical top ten pound for pound lists. Even though the Venezuelan’s record consists of a lot of nondescript fighters, the fact that 19 of his foes couldn’t last the first stanza shows tremendous ability, potential and makes him a threat to any and all of the champions at 135 and 140 pounds. DeMarco, a slight underdog, has the perfect opponent in front of him to make a statement that he is a fighter to watch in the coming years and he best be prepared for the obstacle in front of him.
DEMARCO HAS SHOWN HIS TOUGHNESS TOO!
Even though Valero is favored, De Marco has faced an equally or tougher set of opponents thus far beating the likes of Kid Diamond (27-1-1, 15 KOs) (TKO 9), and former WBA lightweight titlist Jose Alfaro (23-5, 20 KOs)(TKO 10). While the Mexican continues to improve, it appears that the Venezuelans boxing skills have begun to regress. That being said, Valero’s punching power and De Marco’s lack of solid defensive skills should put another knockout on Valero’s ledger. Expect the Venezuelan puncher to go some rounds here, but in time Valero will prevail by TKO.
Kevin Perry
Is this a joke? You’d have a 100% KO ratio if you fought a bunch of bums too. Just look at Carson Jones… He recently set a KO record did he not. But he crumbled as soon as he fought a journeyman that would fight back. Please don’t bring in big names when talking about Valero, he needs to fight some contenders first.
Oops, I meant look at Tyrone Brunson who was KO’d by Jones…
I’m calling Valero by stoppage too. It reminds me of the style matchup of Darchinyan vs. Mijares. I don’t like tall, thin guys who stand straight up against bombers. It’s a pretty good one, though. Except for a couple biggies on HBO PPV, Showtime’s really kicking HBO tail this year.
Valero has won titles in two weight classes…I would be hesitant to compare Brunson’s record to Valero’s. Valero hasn’t beaten any big names but has fought a couple world class fighters.
What exactly has he accomplished that has everyone so afraid of him? Oh right, nothing. So which is more likely, everyone is shaking in their boots about an unproven fighter, or maybe its the whole being banned from boxing inside the US for most of the last few years and never earning a shot thing?
Humberto Soto is the Most Avoided Fighter in Boxing right now. Valero was supposed to have fought Soto on the Nov. 14th Cotto-Pac undercards and Valero chickened-out by making lame and different excuses for not having a “valid” VISA. So, Arum tried making Valero fight Soto on Dec. 19 in Mexico and Valero again chickened-out and Arum then had Valero fight a safe opponent named Hector Velazquez while Soto fought a replacement veteran Jesus Chavez.
How can you make a fight with a guy who cannot get a license in most boxing-friendly states? Hard to make a case for fighters avoiding him.
If Valero is so easy to beat why will no one fight him? A fighter can’t build a reputation if none of the top dogs in any division will get in the ring woth him. Yeah Valero is a bit raw, but I don’t think you can build a record of 26-0 26 KOs and have titles in two weights by fighting all stiffs. They all looked like stiffs when they got blown out by Valero. Pitalua knocked out Joe Santa Cruz a fighter who many believe beat Casamayor. What did Valero do to Pitalua? Blow him out in two rounds. Just because he hasn’t fought “name” fighters who have a big promotional backing doesn’t mean he hasn’t beat some quality guys. He hasn’t beaten many good fighters I agree, but he won’t be able to prove his worth unless he gets that opportunity.
KP, not sure why you threw Mayweather in the mix here. Has Valero ever said his name? Would that even be a viable fight considering all the flack Floyd caught by facing Marquez. Seems if you throw a welter in there you would also point to the great young talent at 140 first.
I did mention 140 and 135. I write the stories Pedro writes the headlines. By the way, Valero has talked about fighting Floyd…not that Floyd would ever consider it.
Valero is avoided because he can’t fight in the USA and he’s only getting back on US television this weekend on Showtime. Therefore the big names will not risk losing to an unknown fighter for anything less than a major payday. Which will not happen because he’s banned in the USA. Which is a circular Catch-22 for Valero.
Valero is a beast! He has developed a lot of bad habits over the years BUT I have seen him in the gym and this guy is very explosive and powerful! Saturday night maybe his coming out party!
All this is fantasy talk until he gets licensed in the states(cant recall if he did in Texas or not) but once het gets in vegas or cali im sure there will be some exciting matches to come if he looks good on Sat.
Valero always ambitions to fight Pacman and willing to fight him at his current weight anytime. If he inflicts KO’s on some top contenders at 140lbs as he goes up, i think he may have a chance to meet Pacman at 147lbs. but I feel he will be eaten alive by a great Asian shark if ever they meet at welter.
Ok that makes sense then about the headline. But I know your not the biggest Mayweather fan, so I was scratching my head on that one. I think Valero would have a much better shot at getting a big fight when he gets some real names on his resume. At this point though he will have to move up to get Pac or JMM because they’ve left the division. Beating up Diaz, Casamayor, the JMM route would do him some good. Until then they can get away with acting like he doesn’t exist.
DeMarco is no Humberto Soto. Soto is a tough cookie who won’t lay down for anyone! Let Valero step up and beat Soto. Then I will be a believer… I am looking forward to seeing Valero fight on Showtime though. I’ve caught most of his other fights in poor quality on-line streaming video.
Soto didn’t look good against Guzman or an old Chavez. i doubt he has a shot against Valero…he’s too easy to hit and probably too slow. He’s the typical Mexican fighter, good body puncher with some pop in his fists but lacks mobility. Valero is a bigger guy(started at 130), a southpaw and obviously a much harder puncher. All this talk about Soto is nonsense. Soto’s best win was against Juarez who loses all his big fights…when Soto stepped up against Guzman he got schooled. Soto vs Gurerro? Now that’s a bout I’d like to see. Not sold on Soto as a lightweight.
Valero is not being avoided. He’s banned from fighting in the U.S.! The Nevada State Athletic Commission may change their rules to allow an exception, then there will be lots of fights for him. Why would someone avoid a good payday against a guy with suspect skills? I can’t wait for this fight this weekend!
Stop the BS! He is being avoided. Anybody saying that he isn’t must be a Pacnut! 26-0 & 26 KOs. You didn’t ever hear Pac bring him up.
Mike, have you ever seen Valero fight? He cuts the ring well, and has a lot of power. There’s a reason that he’s KO’d all of his foes and it’s not just because most of them were stiffs. Is he being avoided? Of course. Who would want to take the risk against a guy that’s not that well known. Juan could have fought him but instead decided to take on Mayweather for a payday. I don’t think these guys are necessarily scared of him but I guess the it’s the risk versus the reward. Valero is extremely dangerous and if he wins Saturday he will be avoided even more. Valero vs Tim Bradley would be a hell if a scrap. A fight of the year candidate if it happens.
Fighters want to make money, period. As Marvin Hagler said: “It’s a money-opportunity sport.” If Valero produces a spectacular KO on Saturday, and gets licensed in Nevada, everybody will be calling him out. The money-opportunity isn’t there when you’re fighting off-TV in South America or wherever. I think the guy is an exciting, very charasmatic fighter and he could be a super-star. Or not. He was knocked down by Mosquera, who is not a big hitter. We’ll see. Personally, I hope Valero wins in spectacular fashion on Saturday, and kudos to Showtime for putting this guy on in a card held in Mexico. They recognize his potential. If he produces a couple of sensational KOs on Showtime, he won’t be “avoided.” Everybody will want to fight the guy for the payday and the perception that he’s vulnerable.
That’s a nice video of Valero manhandling Morales. There’s another Youtube video in which Morales more than holds his own.
Edwin Valero has the makings of being a truly special fighter.
The conventional wisdom suggested that DeMarco was the slick boxer and Valero was the raw brawler. Well, tonight Valero showed the world that he is much more than a raw brawler but rather a fighter with a tool box of diverse skills that he put on display tonight. I saw improved defense, double jabs, slipping, unknown toughness and grit.
I love to see a fighter encounter some different forms of adversity. It allows us to what they are made of. A number of fighters would have folded or explode into full-scale panic after suffering that horrible cut to the forehead. I like the way Valero’s corner calmed their charge down and Valero went to work. he didn’t allow the cut to bother him two much because after round 6 he just settled into his game. Throwing combinations after combinations, but I would like to see more body work.
I like the way he paced himself and showed patience as he broke down DeMarco. Now, people will say he didn’t score the knockout and my reply is okay, but he was better for it. You don’t knock out everyone. World-call fighters don’t go easy and DeMarco possesses a sound chin, pride and he looked to me like “I am not going to get knocked out in front of my people. I may get beaten up but I am not going to go down.”
Still, Valero took his soul and to a certain degree his will. Round after round DeMarco was being pushed back shot after shot and punished. I could hear via “surround sound” the impact of those shots and the look the kid had on his face in his corner after round 8 told us everything we needed to know: ” He’s too strong!”
Clearly, Valero is another class of fighter. Class A! He reduced DeMarco to sparring-partner status. This is not a knock on DeMarco, who is a fine young fighter and who may gone to greats things if doen’t after fight that monster again.
Now, what’s next for Valero?
Hopefully, bigger fights, earned glory, more exposure, and big PPV mega-fight events with the best fighters in the 130, 135 and even 140 weight classes.
The lightweight division has been served notice. There is a new player in town.
Kevin, what the hell are you talking about? How about Valero fighting some top dogs like or even high rated contenders before calling out the biggest dog, how about fighting (anthony peterson or ali funeka or even kendall holt)! I’m not even a pac fan and would definitely love to see these guys fight, but to say pac is avoiding him is just stupid. Reason being, pac is fighting world class fighters every fight. I will also say this, I am one of the few who thinks Tim Bradley would defeat Pacman if they ever fought…
Swift, I agree with you brother. I like what I see in Valero but he has been his own worse enemy. If he didn’t have that DUI he would have been in the Cotto-Pac PPV undercard. Tim Bradley is a damn good fighter and I one of the other few who believes he would be a tough night for Pac and Valero. He’s world-class and continues to improve. Shaw needs to get him back in the ring even if its against a soft-touch just to keep him active.
I do not know why everybody keeps on talking V-A-L-E-R-O to fight the big names at welter. It seems to me that anybody that wants to fight guys in smaller weights gets a pass( manny-mosley and the biggest cherry picker of them all oscar de la hoya) but “money” gets the stank eye from everybody right, I have seen valero spar and he’s nothing like what has been advertised. Just remember that another guy with that kind of praise got knocked silly(vic darchinyan)by a fighter with better boxing skills.
Hey have any of you bad mouthing Valero, ever stepped foot inside a boxing ring, ever been punched in the face and not cry? It’s not as easy as it seems to knock a person out. Just because Valero doen’t fight the “known” fighters doesn’t mean he’s a bum. JMM lost to Chris John and nobody knew who he was before he fought Rocky Juarez. I hate that this sport claims “you have to prove yourself” to fight the big names. You know how the big names got there, when they were nobodies getting their chance to shine. If Valero wants Pacman, I say let him have him and if he wins, he shows the world he is world class and if he loses he goes back to the drawing board. But this rite of passage crap is what brings this sport down.
I have boxed and your right its not easy to knock a guy out! about jmm and chris john, you know that was just like juan diaz vs paulie it was hometown cooking! there is no right of passage,some fighters are protected because they suck just like julio cesar chavez jr….40 fights and not one top ten fighter…. he’s just milking daddy’s name!
Brandon: “I hate that this sport claims “you have to prove yourself” to fight the big names.”
That’s the way it should be Brandon. Every single one of the “big” names proved themselves and fought up the ranks. why should anybody get to jump the line and be ahead of other contenders that worked their way up, just because they “seem to possess” what it takes to beat the top contenders? With Valero winning this weekend, let’s see if he can clean up at lightweight and then he has IMO, the deepest division in Jr. Welter ahead of him. I think guys like JMM abd Bradley deserve a pac fight before Valero does due to the fact they have been for a while now taking on the best their respective divisions have to offer, more so than Valero has. Valero needs to get his act straight and continue to up the ante from now on everytime he fights (in regards to the level of competition). If he does that, everything will fall in place.
Brandon: ” You know how the big names got there, when they were nobodies getting their chance to shine”
Valero couldn’t just call out the big names yet. He still needs to climb the ranks up slowly. Pacman climbed up slowly before he eventually got to fight the big names. Am sure a lot of you don’t even remember Pacman way back when his total fights were at 20+ (even if he was knocking down opponents at a very high rate also and was a title holder at that time). He only gained “public” recognition 8 to 10 years after he got to fight in the U.S.
If you follow Valero’s career and map it to where Pacman was at 20+ fights then it would take a few more years before Valero can be where Pacman is. All big name fighters didn’t do it overnight. Everyone toiled their way up. 1200 Techs is right, there are a lot more fighters out there who deserves a shot at Pacman more than Valero does.
I say don’t rush Valero in against the desert storm just yet. Valero can be built up into the next boxing superstar. I don’t know why Bob Arum isn’t interested in buildiing him up the way he does all his fighters. Pacman was never put up against an undefeated fighter like Bradley. I say let Valero shut some more people up by beating Soto, Diaz, & a veteran fighter like the galaxy warrior or el cepillo. Then one of the alphabet champs at 140. These fights can be done within a year & a half, then bring on pacman, bradley, or whichever p4p fighter. Does Valero only have one fight left on his contract with Top Rank? What’s the rush?
Why doesn’t Bob Atrium make la Zorrita vs Valentino? I hear now that la Zorrita is fighting vs tba for Valero’s belt. Give me a break, this is some bs. & the wbc says it’s because Valkilmero can’t defend on time because of his cut…& because he is moving up in weight. Open your eyes Valero. You need a new promoter…& a trainer who can at least apply some vaseline to your face so you don’t get cut with the first punch you get hit with.
I agree with KP. I think Valero got the wares to defeat some of the big names in boxing if given a chance. It’s not that boxers chickened out upon hearing the name of Valero; if there’s not much money in the fight and there’s too much risk at stake, there’s no way a cunning boxer would do business with this Venezuelan. This guy is powerful, but he needs to be a little more technical to catch up with the pound for pound fighters. I do think that Pacman would defeat Valero if they fight today. However, a “lost” would make a boxing god out of Valero.