This past weekend, the world of boxing lost what was easily one of the most talented prospects in the sport, as lightweight Edwin Valero murdered his wife, and subsequently committed suicide by killing himself.
27 victories, 27 fights, and 27KO’s showed a massive level of perfection, yet it was all in perception, as the world this man was a part of was anything but perfect.
Recent events in his life let many of us know that there was a great history of substance and alcohol abuse, and in recent times, as it relates to his now murdered spouse, physical abuse as well.
When you think of the financial success and the promising future he had, one can only wonder what specifically led to the many troubles in his life that no one seemed to be able to cure.
His promising talent made many of us question who would be able to ultimately stop him. Oddly enough, that unknown person was later identified as himself.
One of the few certainties about Edwin Valero is that he suffered a brain injury earlier in life, and medically, several medications that treat such injuries have been known to cause depressive states, suicidal tendencies, and even moments of outrage, resulting from an effort to chemically balance a brain that theoretically fails to do so on its own.
It would be very key to find out when this aggressive nature began in his life, because at first glimpse, none of it started until after his injury.
The signs started to come early and often beyond that point, in an ominous way, to that it’s good to point the finger, but several close to the fighter and his wife are partly to blame because those signs were never acted upon, despite the many repetitions.
At a point in which the sport is thriving on an upswing and proving to be formidable once again, one of the most talented prospects is no longer here in the flesh to help build those memorable moments. Instead, his life, as well as his wife’s ended without a moments notice.
Looming in the backdrop in what is now a very intriguing subplot is the fact that Bob Arum’s Top Rank is suddenly in the midst of its most trying time, arguably in the history of its inception.
Miguel Cotto is considered damaged goods to many…..Antonio Margarito can’t be licensed in the U.S. due to a cheating scandal……Kelly Pavlik has become a major question mark…….and the sports P4P king, Manny Pacquiao is considering retirement, which if it happened, would come amidst a storm of doping allegations that although unfounded, remain by and at large.
Valero wasn’t quite proven on the level of these other stablemates, yet one can’t help but realize that much like his story, a ‘from-the-outside-looking-in’ type perfection of Top Rank can now be equally questioned, as few things remain certain in their very uncertain world.
Stay tuned.
