Possibly abusive Edwin Valero gets no shot at Pacquiao now -- The Examiner

By Matt Stolow, Examiner.com

DALLAS, TEXAS - Count unbeaten whirlwind Edwin Valero of Venezuela out as the next piñata to be popped by Manny Pacquiao.

Valero, 27-0 (27 KO's), already banned from fighting in the USA with a DUI and a plate in his head, allegedly beat up his wife enough to collapse a lung and cause other bumps and bruises leading to her hospitalization and possibly his arrest.

At this point, information, according to Top Rank President Bob Arum, is conflicting. It's going to take time to sort out and possibly salvage this situation.

How can Arum work on behalf of a low-life like Valero when he publicly promotes high and mighty Manny Pacquiao?

But how can Arum, even if Valero is cleared, possibly put an unstable man as Valero appears, into a multi-million dollar event in front of a worldwide audience against his golden goose (Manny Pacquiao) and expect him to toe the line for three months of training, media intrusion and the actual fight?

There is no way Valero can handle the pressure that would be upon him and Arum is too smart to risk it anyway.

It reminds me of the haunting time in the fall of 1996 when promoter Dino Duva pleaded during a World Boxing Council Convention ratings meeting to not force Oliver McCall into a rematch with Lennox Lewis because he was well, unstable and in rehab, and shouldn't be in public, let alone fighting for the vacant WBC heavyweight title.

Duva asked that they go to the next available contender to fight Lewis and maybe McCall would be ready to fight the winner of that fight or soon after.

But the powers that be forced the rematch and McCall suffered a nervous breakdown during the fight. It was the saddest episode in boxing or live television I have ever seen. Lennox Lewis was awarded the WBC crown in less than a glorious moment, but it was of no fault of Lewis.

While Valero certainly has his civil rights to explore before being counted out of the Pacquiao sweepstakes, trust me, it's over as far as Edwin Valero is concerned.

Source: examiner.com