By Zach Yanowitz – Edwin Valero is a controversial guy. Whether or not you think he’s legitimate, you have to respect his record. 26-0, with all those wins coming by way of knockout. I know, he’s no LaMar Clark, but that’s damn impressive. Sure, he throws some wide, sloppy punches, his defense is suspect, and he gets overly aggressive when hit. But hey, I’d rather watch a balls-out brawler with unbelievable power than a pussyfooting boxer who wouldn’t come forward and slug unless there was a shotgun in the small of his back (I’m talking to you, Pretty Boy Floyd)..
Sure, he may not have fought the best competition so far, but Dougie Fisher makes some good points in his most recent article on the subject. Antonio Pitalua is a legitimate B-fighter, if not better. Vincente Mosquera was a total badass. The guy was ranked behind Barrera, Morales, and Pacquiao, and is in prison for murder now. Sure, it took Valero 10 rounds to knock him out, but he did it eventually. His competition hasn’t been amazing, but he’s no Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. or Dimitry Salita in terms of stacking one’s record against bums.
And then there’s his own personal issues that have stood in his way. The head injury that keeps him from fighting anywhere but Texas, the visa problems, the DUI in Vegas, the troubles back in Venezuela, none of it is going in El Inca’s favor. But this is a new year.
With Saturday’s win over Hector Velazquez, Valero’s fight against exciting young contender Antonio DeMarco is rushing ever closer (February 6th, to be exact). DeMarco is a relatively recognizable name, and it’s about time Valero got some exposure on Showtime. Now, I like DeMarco, but El Inca is going to knock him out. That’s fine. Antonio’s still got plenty of time to develop, but eventually Edwin is going to catch him and he’s going down.
After that? He can step up and challenge any number of the major lightweights. Juan Manuel Marquez and Ricky Hatton should both retire after their seemingly inevitable showdown, but that still leaves Michael Katsidis, Ali Funeka, and potentially Juan Diaz if he moves down to his natural weight. Will Valero be able to beat them? Maybe. Probably Katsidis, maybe Diaz, probably not Funeka. But a loss could lead Valero to get a legitimate trainer, learn some better boxing skills, and get his life in order. I hear Freddie Roach is a fan.
And after that, who knows? The Junior Welterweight division is stacked these days and could always use a new addition.
Let me know what you think in the comments.