For the last three months, I have been hunting a mythical figure as mysterious as Bigfoot, or Santa Claus?one Edwin Valero.
The Venezuelan knock-out artist has attracted a cult-like following in the United States, though he never appeared on one the major boxing television outlets. In actuality, days before his proposed January, 2004 debut on H.B.O. Latino, the New York State Athletic Commission suspended him for a failed M.R.I.
Los Angelino gym rats still talk about his incredible sparring sessions against fighters much more seasoned than Valero. For those of not privy to attending those gym wars, Doug Fischer of Maxboxing provided excellent coverage of Valero while he was in Los Angeles (http://www.maxboxing.com/Fischer/Fischer102504.asp).
The rest is history, as Edwin left the United States and continued fighting and scoring knockdowns; including a string of eighteen first round knockout victories in his first eighteen fights. Two fights later, this past August in Panama, Valero defeated Vicente Mosquera in one of the best fight of 2006.
This past October, after doing a Google search for an interview with Valero, which produced zero results, I took upon the mission of landing a one on one with El Inca.
After months of calls, and e-mails, spanning from Los Angeles, California, to Venezuela, to Tokyo, Japan, on December 13th, I received a voice mail from Mr. Akihiko Honda, President of Teiken Promotions, instructing me to call him the following day and Valero would be available for an interview.
Valero has moved to Japan to concentrate on his boxing career and prepare on his first defense of the W.B.A. Super Featherweight Championship on January 3rd, 2006 against Michael Lozada in Tokyo, Japan.
So on December 14th, I called Mr. Honda who passed the phone to Edwin Valero and I finally captured the mythical figure for a true exclusive.
Many thanks to Mr. Nobu Ikushima, who was key in coordinating the interview.
In part one of the interview, Edwin discusses his move to Japan, thoughts on his suspension in the United States, and his string of eighteen first round knockouts.
Exclusive Interview with Edwin Valero ? PART ONE
BC: Why the transition from Venezuela to Japan?
EV: Being a champion, I have to make sure my training for a fight is as good as possible. In the ring, I need to learn more and keep honing my skills as a boxer. One of my options was to come to Japan, a lot of things were lacking in Venezuela. The sparring in Venezuela is limited and that was a major factor in my move to Japan.
BC: How is your trainer, have you retained Jorge Zerpa?
EV: For this fight I am preparing with mitt man Tanaka, Zerpa is still with me, but Tanaka is organizing everything at this time.
BC: You have been suspended, due to medical reasons, from fighting in the United States. Have you given up on the dream of fighting in the United States?
It is not really a dream, you have to remember that boxing is my job. I want to be were I can make the most money for myself. The United States is an excellent boxing market. Fighting in the United States is something I would really like to do, since there are so many Latino people there. In my short time in the United States, some fans got to know about my aggressive style of fighting. I was in many Los Angeles gyms.
BC: Your are somewhat of a mythical figure in the United States. You had some fights and classic sparring sessions in Los Angeles and then were unfortunately forced to leave before appearing on ESPN, HBO, or some of the other big networks.
EV: When I was suspended, I was about to go on HBO and fight. It was going to be one of my first major steps, things happen for a reason. I did not let myself be defeated. I did suffer. I cried, I was depressed, I went through a little bit of everything.
I was in Los Angeles for a year without being allowed to box. It was truly difficult and frustrating. A lot of people depend on me, my mother, brothers, and grandparents. I was not able to send money to Venezuela at that time. Look, it was horrible, I thought to myself, ?Why is my career over, why did this happen to me, what did I do to deserve this?? A lot of things go through your head, when something like that happens.
BC: I can understand, if I lost my job and was not able to provide for my family. Your ability to make money and support your family was taken away.
EV: Yes, but if was even worse than that. If they take away your job, you can find a job with another company. My situation was different. I could not fight in New York, Los Angeles, or anywhere else in the United States. Thank God I was able to fight in Latin America, and now I am in Asia. Everything turned out great.
I maintained a positive attitude and continued to work hard. One of the reasons I am where I am right now, is because of my consistency in training and working. I always want to do better and Mr. Honda noticed this. He was aware that I am an aggressive fighter and I always train very hard. I am very dedicated to my work. I do not really have any friends. Any trainer in Venezuela, even if they do not like my personality, cannot say anything negative about my training habits. Mr. Honda, being a business man, I think, was attracted to me because of my work ethic.
BC: When you did return to Venezuela, you continued with your string of first round knock-outs. Your first eighteen fights were won by first round knockouts, beating the previous record of sixteen. If I told you, prior to your first professional fight, Edwin, you are going to win your first eighteen by first round knockout, what would you have said?
EV: I do not think I would have been able to do it! I do not think I would have dedicated myself to accomplish that goal. My first two fights, I did not even take that seriously. I was not that interested in professional boxing, it was more of a hobby. After my son was born, I started taking things more seriously. The little money I was making, I would budget it for my responsibilities as a family man. I started taking more interest and after eight fights that is when Mr. De La Hoya, Oscar?s father, brought me to the United States. Little by little people would tell me I was a good fighter, but I did not even believe it myself. Now, I am starting to believe, but I am always trying to learn and improve.
