WBC Lightweight Champion Edwin Valero defends not only his title but also the most remarkable fighting record in recent history, when he pitches up against the experienced Mexican Hector Velazquez this Saturday night in La Guaira, Venezuela.
Valero, in case you hadn’t noticed, is the fighter who began professional life back in 2002, and over the following 4 years notched up 19 consecutive first round wins. In August 2006, he heard the bell sound for the third round for the first time, but still went on to stop champion Vicente Mosquera in the 10th, to annex the WBA Super-Featherweight title. Since then Valero has been taken into the middle rounds in defense of that title, but seemed to confirm his credentials last time out when he jumped to Lightweight in April this year to stop Antonio Pitalua in two rounds for the vacant WBC title.
Valero’s record is currently 25-0, 25 KO’s, which is a little bit frightening. Still more frightening is the fact that Valero, a Venezuelan but domiciled in Japan, is unable to box in any state in the US, bar Texas. Valero was involved in a serious motorcycle accident as a teenager, fracturing his skull and having a blood clot removed. Venezuelan Doctors cleared him to fight, but in 2004 he failed an MRI scan and his license was revoked. It wasn’t until March 2008 that the Texan authorities, doubtless spurred on by rumors of a money-spinning encounter between Manny Pacquiao and Valero, decided that he was fit to box on their turf.
The truth is that Valero has only boxed 51 rounds in all of his 25 fights, and barely been extended, so that if he is less than concrete between the ears we won’t find out until he gets himself into a hard, tough fight. The way he punches of course, that might never happen.
It’s doubtful that Velazquez can put much of a dent in the Valero rollercoaster. The Mexican has been around an awful long time (this is his 17th year as a pro), and compiled a 51-13, 35 KO’s slate, but at 34 he’s on the slide and has lost 2 of his last 3. The last time Velazquez was stopped was in 2005, but that was by Pacquiao in six rounds, so that you have to look back to 1997 to find his next stoppage loss. He’s durable and experienced, and it’s unlikely that he’ll become another of Valero’s quick-fire victims.
That said, if Velazquez makes it to the second half of the fight I’ll be mightily surprised.
There’s a less than stellar undercard, with local favorites Franklin Varela, 17-4, 9 KO’s, and Oscar Chacin, 13-9, 11 KO’s, rehashing their recent October encounter (which Varela won by 10 round unanimous decision), this time over twelve rounds for the WBC Latino Super-Bantam title.
Also emerging Super-Bantam Alexander Espinoza, 9-2, 8 KO’s looks to continue his re-habilitation after two successive losses in a contest with Breilor Teran, whose 4-7, 1 KO, ledger suggests he’s unlikely to do much to stand in Espinoza’s way.
