The internet is a funny thing. Sometimes information is printed and then a website finds it on a search engine and prints it and then a bunch of other sites print that information which could all be based on the first inaccurate article. That may not be what happened with the stories on Edwin Valero circulating in the media, but some of the information regarding Valero seems to be conflicting. First there were reports that he was arrested and that he was being forced to go to a special rehab center for six months and then just recently it was reported that he was leaving rehab after a short detoxification process. So mostly everything that American fans have heard has been hearsay and none of the stories pertaining to the undefeated knockout artist have come from a primary source until now.
Just last week on Fight-Fan-Nation radio, Edwin Valero?s manager Jose Castillo talked about the direction of Valero?s career and their hopes for a mega-fight with Manny Pacquiao, but the story about Valero allegedly beating his wife came out the very next day so the Examiner.com contacted Valero?s manager, Jose Castillo, again Thursday evening and talked about the turmoil encompassing Valero and how it may affect his career.
Examiner.com/Fight-Fan-Nation-Radio: We talked last week on Fight-Fan-Nation radio the day before all this stuff came out. What?s the word on Valero right now?
Jose Castillo: Youv?e seen many things on the internet obviously he will be cleared. All these things will be cleared obviously we will have a press conference in due time. A lot of things are completely wrong. I?ve even been quoted on some things and nobody has even talked to me. I don?t know where the press gets some of these things. Right now I?m just making sure that Edwin is good, that he?s ok. That?s our main concern. Once he?s ok and out here then we will make the decision.
Examiner.com/Fight-Fan-Nation-Radio: There were reports that he had beaten his wife and that then he was supposedly going to a rehab center for six months and then the next thing I hear he?s leaving rehab. What?s really happening?
Jose Castillo: I don?t know where they get their information. They get wrong information and go ahead and print it. He wasn?t in jail. He was never in jail. There was some things that he had to take care of, but it wasn?t in jail. Like I said we will have a press conference in due time and it will be cleared up.
Examiner.com/Fight-Fan-Nation-Radio: Valero is currently in the process of applying for a visa, do you think this will negatively impact the Visa process?
Jose Castillo: I couldn?t tell you. It depends on how they view things in the press and how they go about their process of establishing a visa. Is it based on facts and actual records? And I hope it?s based on records which I think will be the case and I hope so I think we should be ok.
Examiner.com/Fight-Fan-Nation-Radio: Valero solidified his hold on the WBC 135 pound title in February when he defeated the interim champion Antonio DeMarco and then David Diaz and Humberto Soto fought for that title on the undercard of Pacquiao-Clottey. What?s going on with the WBC 135 pound title?
Jose Castillo: After the DeMarco fight on February 6 we talked to Mauricio Sulaiman of the WBC and said look we are going to try to go up one weight class to junior-welterweight, we are going to try it out because Edwin is having a hard time making 135, the last two or three fights he?s had a hard time so what we decided to do because of his injury and cuts, they named him champion in recess which means that if he decides to go back to lightweight he?s recognized as champion so he can fight a title fight.
Examiner.com/Fight-Fan-Nation-Radio: Would Valero still consider fighting at 135 pounds?
Jose Castillo: I think the money would have to be right for Edwin to have to consider making the sacrifice. We talked about it before and after the DeMarco fight. Edwin wants to go to 140, he feels stronger at 140 so we have to go from there.
Examiner.com/Fight-Fan-Nation-Radio: Do you still think a Valero-Pacquiao fight is something that is going to happen?
Jose Castillo: We?ve discussed it with the promoter Top Rank, and Bob Arum on a couple of instances and he asked if we would be interested and I think we were a candidate for this last fight when the Mayweather fight fell through when Clottey got it. Obviously we had the fight with DeMarco and decided to stay on that track and yah it?s been discussed and I think within the next 18 months that there is a pretty good chance that we will have that fight.
Examiner.com/Fight-Fan-Nation-Radio: So Valero would be willing to move up to 147 pounds to fight Pacquiao?
Jose Castillo: Absolutely! I know Pacquiao personally, I know him very well and he?s a lot smaller guy than Edwin is. Edwin is a big stocky guy and when you meet him you would see he?s the bigger guy so he would benefit from being at a higher weight class.
Examiner.com/Fight-Fan-Nation-Radio: Is Timothy Bradley a possibility?
Jose Castillo: You know it was discussed right after the DeMarco fight. I think between our promoters it was mentioned and it created a little buzz about that, but when we really sat down to work out the numbers and to me it?s a great fight and Timothy is a great fighter and if I?m not mistaken he?s considered the best 140 pounder out there right now. With Edwin coming up to 140, we talked money right away and the money wasn?t close to what we thought that fight warrants. It?s a great fight, but I think down the line the money will be there and we will be able to make that fight.
Examiner.com/Fight-Fan-Nation-Radio: Bradley?s promoter said you guys were scared to take the fight!
Jose Castillo: Everybody has an opinion on it. I can tell you one thing Edwin is not afraid of fighting anybody. And I have no doubts that Edwin can beat anybody. If the money isn?t there we are not going to take a fight that?s worth a lot more money than what was first discussed.
Examiner.com/Fight-Fan-Nation-Radio: What?s going on with Valero?s training? He was with Kenny Adams in Vegas and then Alcazar, who?s his trainer?
Jose Castillo: He was with Kenny Adams in Las Vegas. He wanted to comeback to Los Angeles because he had been here in 2002 to 2005 living in Los Angeles with his family and they got used to it and liked it. So when he decided to come over here we contacted Robert Alcazar who he had met previously and he trained him for the Pitalua fight when he won the championship in Austin and when he went to Venezuela and got the visa denied back in September Alcazar couldn?t make the trip back to train him for the fight in Venezuela in December so we asked Mario Morales to go and actually asked him to be for two fights. What we had in mind is to have Edwin still work with Alcazar once Edwin gets back here.
Examiner.com/Fight-Fan-Nation-Radio: Jose can you give me a name? Who do you think Valero is going to fight next?
Jose Castillo: Lamont Peterson is pretty much it right now. We are trying to make that fight happen.
Examiner.com/Fight-Fan-Nation-Radio: Do you still think Edwin will be able to get licensed in Nevada?
Jose Castillo: We feel confident because last year in June the Nevada Athletic Commission changed the ruling that a fighter that has had head intervention can now re-apply and pass the medical which Edwin has passed in nine different countries. Then they can issue him a license so we feel confident we can get the license in Nevada then after that we can apply in California and then after that we should be fine.
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