Bob Arum, boxing starmaker, told me that undefeated Venezuelan slugger Edwin Valero is going nowhere unless he does two things immediately.
The Top Rank Top Honcho said that the exciting, free-swinging lefthander must give up the booze and drop his political megaphone and cheerleading for his homeland’s egomaniacal dictator Hugo Chavez.
Arum had big plans for Valero. The promoter was able to influence the Nevada commission to take a second look at its regulations barring boxers with specific brain injuries (Valero’s brain bleed is said to be from a long ago motorcycle accident). Now the athletic commission will review such matters on a case by case basis rather than having a blanket ban.
On the night of May 2 in Las Vegas, when Manny Pacquiao was busy dismantling Ricky Hatton in under six minutes, Valero got caught driving under the influence of alcohol in the gambling mecca. (This has previusly been misreported by me and others to have happened in Texas but Arum said it happened in Nevada).
That criminal case has led to Valero being denied a work visa in the United States and he had to be scratched from the Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto Nov. 14 MGM Grand undercard.
Valero is talking about defending his WBC lightweight title Dec. 12 in Caracas where the purse won’t compare to Vegas standards.
I asked Arum if he thinks Valero is living in the bottle.
“I think he had a drinking problem but, as of now, he could be, I don’t know,” Arum said. “What I do know is that Valero keeps making his situation worse and worse.
“He’s a big follower of Chavez and he goes on the attack saying he’s barred in America because of politics. That’s nonsense. It does not help his situation in any way.”
Arum said he has not completely scotched, you will pardon the booze reference, the idea of a train wreck match between buzzsaw Pacquiao and seek to destroy Valero. The two southpaws would be sure to have a stimulating albeit brief fight.
“It’s a brilliant fight,” Arum said. “I’m not sure what the status is on his work visa. I think he had to do community service or go to drunk driving school, something like that. Or maybe there was some psychiatric type of rehabilitation”
Arum said he thinks Valero believes he’s showing his patriotism in supporting Chavez. The fighter has a chest tattoo depicting Chavez and a Venezuelan flag.
Arum said he has little control over Valero’s fate.
“You want to tell him to be quiet but it’s out of my hands. His boxing situation was getting better but, lately, he’s just made it worse.”
Menawhile, Mark Vester (Boxingscene) reports that Jorge Barrios invites Valero to go to Argentina to fight him. That’s a bout which is meaningless for Valero.
Arum did not say he’s completely abandoning Valero but it’s clear the big puncher is no longer a priority for the promoter.
