The one and only time I met knockout artist Edwin Valero he was incredibly charismatic.
Which is why that flushing sound indicating his chances of getting on boxing’s big stage and earning millions of dollars is evaporating is so bothersome.
When I saw him fight in Cancun, Valero told me his KO paw, the left hand was worth $20 million and his right hand was worth $15 million.
And he then flashed a brilliant smile.
Valero might be the most entertaining opponent Manny Pacquiao can find anywhere on the planet.
With his windmilling bombs and Pacquaio’s in and out buzzsaw style, a bout between them would be all fireworks, all the time, although I’ve no doubt the match would end with the Venezuelan laying in a heap on the canvas.
Philboxing.com
If Pacman and Valero never fight, the only losers will be Valero and boxing fans.
He may have beaten a lot of trike drivers but Valero does not bring his own bicycle to the ring.
He comes into the squared circle with only destruction, total destruction, on his mind. Unlike some so called fighters, he doesn’t view each round as just another leg of the Tour de France bike race.
But Valero is clearly a troubled soul now, barred from entering the US due to a pending drunk driving case in Texas.
Then, this past weekend, one of Venezuela’s largest and most respected newspapers, El Universal, reported that police were going to arrest the slugger for smacking his mother and sister around.
But Valero says it’s all nonsense and now his mother has emerged to back up his story of not striking anyone. Here’s what the AP is reporting Thursday:
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP)—WBC lightweight champion Edwin Valero denied reports he was arrested on domestic violence charges.
Valero told reporters in Tuesday the allegations were merely an effort to “provoke” him.
“I’ve never hit my little sister and much less my mother,” Valero said in comments published by Venezuelan television station RCTV on its Web site.
Venezuela daily El Universal reported Valero was arrested last week after a neighbor called emergency services and told authorities the boxer had struck his mother and a sister during a family dispute.
Police in Valero’s hometown—El Vigia—declined to confirm or deny the report, arguing they were not authorized to discuss the issue with the media.
The boxer’s mother, Eloisa Vivas, backed up Valero’s statement on Tuesday.
“There wasn’t any sort of aggression, we weren’t mistreated or anything,” she said.
If Valero is right, and I’m not saying he is, why would someone have a grudge against him?
Certainly, there is no widespread conspiracy against Valero or is there?
It certainly can’t be coming from the top level of government as Valero fully supports controversial dictator Hugo Chavez.
The fighter proudly displays a Chavez tattoo.
All I know is the case of Edwin Valero gets more curious with each passing day.
And his chances of cashing in a Pacman Bout Lottery Ticket grow smaller and smaller.
I, for one, will miss not seeing this all southpaw Demoltion Derby of a fight.
But what do I know?
I am still scratching my head and wondering why Mike Tyson and George Foreman, who once both fought on a Don King/Bob Arum co-promotion, never collided in the ring.
