On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses why boxing is clearly headed to becoming a theater of even more in-ring tragedies.
The fight this past Saturday night between Edwin Valero and Antonio DeMarco, held in Monterrey, Mexico, is a case in point. Valero was in a major motorcycle accident in 2001. According to Dr. Margaret Goodman, a neurologist, the former chair of the Medical Advisory Board of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and the medical correspondent for No Holds Barred, Valero “suffered a significant hemorrhage on the surface of the brain. To treat him, they removed part of his skull that was never replaced, nor was he given a prosthesis (such as a metal plate or donated bone).” This led to Valero being put on medical suspension after trying to fight in New York in 2004, and he has since not been licensed to fight anywhere in the U.S.
“No one has determined that he is not at greater risk because of this history,” wrote Dr. Goodman. Nonetheless, Valero was featured in the main event of a card televised in the U.S. on Showtime.
We thus discuss the case of Edwin Valero, and also explain why the April 3 fight between 45-year-old Bernard Hopkins and 41-year-old Roy Jones Jr. also could be another step on the road to yet another tragedy. Plus, we continue our commentary on the disgraceful failure of Manny Pacquiao to accept serious testing for banned and dangerous substances. And we conclude with an observation just where this all may be heading for professional boxing.
You can play or download No Holds Barred at http://nhbnews.podOmatic.com/entry/2010-02-12T13_30_46-08_00. You can also download No Holds Barred at http://www.mediafire.com/?ynmqrv4yzml.
