Edwin Valero -- Telegraph

Telegraph.co.uk

Two months ago Valero stopped Antonio DeMarco in the Mexican city of Monterrey in what proved to be his final fight. It meant that Valero had won all his 27 fights by knockout, and he was being widely talked of as a possible opponent for the Filipino Manny Pacquiao, generally regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

A ferocious hitter with both hands, as well as a ruthless finisher, Valero’s fame quickly extended beyond his native Venezuela when he set a record by winning his first 18 fights by first-round knockouts.

A somewhat wild, colourful figure who sported an enormous tattoo of Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez on his chest, Valero enjoyed a high profile and a powerful mystique in the boxing world. This was despite the fact that — owing to brain scan irregularities detected after a motorcycle accident during his days as an amateur — he had been restricted to just four fights in the United States. As a result, his career was made principally in Japan and Latin America.

He was a national hero in his home country, where he was known “El Inca” or “Dinamita”.

Edwin Valero was born on December 3 1981 at Bolero Alto, and brought up in El Vigía. He had more than 80 amateur contests — losing only a handful — before electing to turn professional at the age of 21. He launched his astonishing winning streak by dispatching his compatriot Eduardo Hernandez in the opening round, at Caracas, on July 9 2002.

It was not until March 25 2006 – during his 19th professional fight – that Valero was taken to a second round, by the Mexican boxer Genaro Trazancos.

Valero’s next outing — in Panama City on August 5 that year — saw him take the World Boxing Association super-featherweight crown with a 10th-round stoppage of the Panamanian Vicente Mosquera, having himself been knocked to the canvas in round three.

Having made four successful defences, Valero moved up a division to claim the vacant World Boxing Council crown with a second-round stoppage of the Colombian veteran Antonio Pitalua in Austin, Texas, on April 4 2009.

Since then, no challenger had come close to deposing him. However, Valero was suspended as champion having expressed his intention to move up in weight again. At the same time he was said to be grappling with a drink and drug addiction, and events took a more sinister turn when his wife, 24-year-old Jennifer Viera, was reportedly taken to hospital suffering broken ribs and a punctured lung.

Valero was arrested last month, accused of harassing his wife and threatening hospital staff. Then Jennifer was found dead in a hotel in the Venezuelan city of Valencia. The boxer was again arrested, on suspicion of her murder.

Police said that Valero appeared to have used his own clothes to hang himself in a police cell on April 19.

Source: telegraph.co.uk