It was even alleged that Valero had raised a hand to his mother and sister before leaving, but after police arrested him his mother released a statement denying any violence had taken place. Where, in 2009, to the frustration of Top Rank he was denied a US visa because he had been charged with drunken driving and carrying an unlicensed firearm, that September the police were called to the home of his mother, because the fighter had accused his brother Luis of being in love with Viera, and neighbours became alarmed at the sound of broken glass.

It was regardless Valero’s family and Viera who were given the greatest cause for concern. “ gave zero fucks about what he put into his body.” We’d run six miles, and he’d have four scalding hot black coffees. When he sparred, you could smell it on him the alcohol oozed from his pores. “Edwin was otherworldly,” said Ryan Coyne, a cruiserweight who trained alongside Valero when they worked under Kenny Adams. He had started drinking at the age of nine, first experimented with drugs at 11, and dropped out of school at 13, after which he took to selling garlic and gradually became involved in gang violence and crime.Ħ Valero committed suicide in 2010 after being accused of killing his wife Credit: AFP He even had a large image of Chavez, and their country’s blue, yellow and red flag, tattooed on his chest. Valero’s relentless aggression meant he had already gained a significant following he had even set a new world record by winning his first 18 fights inside the opening round.Įven before accusations of domestic abuse – in 2009, when the rate of violence against women in Venezuela was among the highest in the world, Viera was treated for a bullet wound in her left leg that, according to Valero, was shot by a mysterious figure – he had gained notoriety for his admiration and links with Venezuela’s divisive president Hugo Chavez. In what was to prove his final fight, in February 2010, Valero earned his 27th stoppage of his 27th opponent when beating Antonio DeMarco, just four fights before the Mexican stopped Valero’s celebrated compatriot Jorge Linares. A motorcycle accident in 2001 caused a cerebral haemorrhage, contributing to him initially being denied a licence in the US and campaigning, for the majority of his career, out of Latin America and Japan. How he got out after a weekend, I have no idea.”įans mock Dillon Danis new shadow boxing footage but some think there is more to itĪrum and Top Rank had been Valero’s second US-based promoter, after an agreement with Golden Boy was ended when he was denied, by the New York State Athletic Commission, a licence to fight. The guys in my office couldn’t wait to see that fight. He would get to be known better and become a legitimate challenger to Pacquiao. That was the whole idea of him coming to us. He and Pacquiao would’ve been a hell of a fight. Well, he proved he could box, and he was a hard-punching guy a whirling dervish in the ring. “He was going to prove himself and then fight Manny,” said Bob Arum, who promoted them both. At 1.30am on April 19 another prisoner, having heard a noise in Valero’s cell, called out to the guards who regardless found the fighter hanging by his neck with a picture of his family reportedly stuffed into his mouth having used his trousers as a noose.

A psychiatrist diagnosed him as “unstable and impulsive”, and noted his “moderate degree of dependence” on drugs.Īt Carabobo’s General Command Police Station Valero’s shirt and shoelaces were taken from him, and he was placed on suicide watch. He regardless repeatedly did so, and after that arrest entered rehabilitation, but his stay there was ultimately brief. Valero, who had become increasingly dependant on cocaine and alcohol, had been arrested that March on charges of harassing Viera and threatening the hospital staff attempting to treat her for a punctured lung and broken ribs.Ī prosecutor had asked a court to order Valero jailed but a judge instead placed him under a restraining order that prevented him from going near Viera. 6 Former world champion Valero won all 27 of his fights by knockout Credit: AFP

Edwin valero autograph