The fight would only last 3 minutes and 49 seconds and Edwin Valero would become a two-weight world champion. The fight against Antonio Pitalúa showed how much Valero was learning at this stage, able to pick apart world class opponents with ease. He would move up in weight for a better challenge. No fighter really showed a drive like that, even in sparring - a learning process of the sport, Valero would hurt partners, tag them with shots so their legs become jelly. It was perhaps wanting to be there and his goal was always to knock out his opponents that was his greatest quality. “He loved being in the ring, that was the difference” One can only imagine what happened between Manny and Edwin’s sparring sessions, but most believe it was competitive and explosive. Valero opened up with incredible punches which broke Morales’s nose, the sharp snappy shots from the Venezuelan started to show his power and yet, still a prospect at this stage. No footage has been released of the sparring sessions, however when Valero sparred with Erik Morales in 2004, it was a different story. Freddie Roach would invite Valero for a sparring session with the rising star Manny Pacquiao. Over this time, he carried on his 100% knockout ratio and gained attention from many notable boxing stars. He would go on to make four defences of his super featherweight crown before moving up to challenge for the WBC lightweight title. Valero gained the reputation of being one of the most dangerous men in boxing and it didn’t stop there. Round after round, Valero would punish his opponent into the 10th when a stoppage would finally come. Mosquera showed grit and heart as he got back up and continued battling, but so did Valero after being knocked down in the third. Before this fight was his first time going past a round, this time it would be his first going past two… The world title bout would start with Valero showing sheer aggression against his first opponent that wouldn’t just give up, knocking him down twice in the first round in the process. He had everything it took to make him a superstar in the sport, he would not fight in USA but elsewhere until 2009.Ģ006 saw Valero fight for his first world title - the WBA Super Featherweight belt against Vincente Mosquera in Panama City. You wouldn’t expect someone suspended to be in the gym and training every day. The thought of never knowing if you could fight again would leave you mentally devastated (especially so early in his career) but not Valero. Sadly he received a suspension which stopped him from boxing in the States. In 2004, when Valero was 12-0, the idea of stardom was almost a reality when he was signed by Golden Boy Promotions. He became the best prospect to come out of Venezuela in 30 years and rightly so, he destroyed every fighter that got in the ring with him, a walking death machine. He conquered all of his next 17 opponents inside a round, the sheer power, agility and ability to throw countless hard punches got him into the position of making a big name for himself. He wouldn’t turn pro until July 9th 2002 taking two minutes and constant power punches to make his opponent drop in a corner of the ring. At age 19, he fractured his skull and had surgery to remove a blood clot all before making his pro debut. On February 5th, 2001 Valero would be involved in a severe motorcycle accident without wearing a helmet. His unusual tactics would include ‘taking their weapons away’ meaning punching their arms continuously so that round after round they wouldn’t be able to pick their hands up. Like a man possessed, Valero portrayed that he wanted to hurt people. He not only stated that he hit hard but that he used to knock out sparring partners all the time, he would go for the kill constantly. Mikey Garcia, the current WBC lightweight champion (to which Valero used to own) had sparred with him. He stood at 5”6 and weighed 120 pounds, but with everything in his arsenal, it was hard to believe he wasn’t some kind of machine crafted to destroy. Many said that he had a natural talent for fighting and what would be built up to create an iconic boxer. Most boxing trainers from Venezuela were incredibly impressed by the young man’s talent and excited for what the future would hold for him. A national amateur champion for three years running his stamina, pure power and intensity made him a one of a kind fighter and a freak of nature if you will. He became an outstanding amateur knocking down people who had never tasted the canvas and with a final record of 86-6 with 57 KOs. Eventually this temper was channelled into boxing at the age of 12. Born from the rough streets that lie in Valencia, Venezuela, Valero was seen as an outcast from other kids his age, where play fighting would turn into something much more serious.
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