I try and measure my opponent and get my timing down and go from there. I don't go into any fight looking for a quick knockout. "Now, I take it round by round and let the knockout come. "There was pressure on me when I was winning all those fights in the first round, but once that ended so did the pressure," Valero said. Once it ended, he said he was more relaxed. Valero, the quintessential knockout artist - only five foes have survived past five rounds and only one has been as far as the 10th round - said when he was scoring all those first-round knockouts, he looked to end fights quickly to keep the streak alive. I'm very confident that once I connect with one of my power punches, he will feel it." He hasn't fought the kinds of fighters I have and he hasn't fought in world title fights. But I believe my experience will be an important key. DeMarco is a good, young fighter who has great aspirations, like most young fighters, and I respect him a lot. "I'm very excited about this fight and thrilled to be fighting on Showtime. "Mexican fans are great fans and they know this sport very well. "Fighting in Mexico is actually a benefit for me and I look forward to it," Valero, 28, said. Valero is pleased that American fans will finally be able to watch him ply his trade, even if he won't be fighting in the U.S., where he'd like to box. In the televised opener, welterweight Luis Carlos Abregu (28-0, 23 KOs) of Argentina meets Miami-based Colombian Richard Gutierrez (24-3, 14 KOs). It's been a long time coming since the aborted 2003 HBO Latino fight. ET/PT) in Monterrey, Mexico.įor Valero (26-0, 26 KOs), it will mark the first time he'll be seen on American television other than appearances on two small pay-per-views. The result: Valero will defend his 135-pound belt against DeMarco (23-1-1, 17 KOs) on Saturday (Showtime, 9 p.m. on Showtime, was so hungry for a serious challenge, he pursued the mandatory fight with Valero, even though he could have easily gotten an exception from the WBC because of Valero's visa issues. However, interim titleholder Antonio DeMarco, who is from Mexico but has been fighting in the U.S. A drunk driving charge cost him his visa, and he was unable to get into the U.S. Top Rank's Bob Arum even mentioned Valero as a potential opponent for Manny Pacquiao and hoped he'd fight on the Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto undercard in November.īut Valero shot himself in the foot, so to speak. It seemed like only a matter of time until he had big fights in the United States, especially after Nevada tweaked a rule that would allow Valero to at least apply for a license, despite a past head injury. Thirteen months later, he crushed Antonio Pitalua in the second round in Austin to win a vacant lightweight belt. had seen him other than the most ardent of Fight Freaks.Īfter four defenses, Valero relinquished his belt and signed with Top Rank, which pushed hard for him to be licensed in Texas after he passed a battery of medical exams in March 2008. In his 20th fight, Valero won a junior lightweight title. It wasn't until his 19th fight that anyone even made it to the second round. After 16 months of being unable to get reinstated, Valero left for Japan, which licensed him. Unable to get licensed in the United States, Valero's career stagnated. He had an abnormality on his MRI exam, the result of a blood clot on his brain suffered years earlier in a motorcycle accident. However, Valero flunked a prefight medical test. Valero was 12-0 with 12 first-round knockouts and was generating enormous buzz. That's when he signed with Golden Boy, which intended to unleash him on a card in New York that was going to be televised on HBO Latino in January 2004. His bouts turned up in grainy footage on the Internet and he became something of an underground cult figure. One after another, they were falling at Edwin Valero's feet, unable to survive even three minutes. There was this junior lightweight from Venezuela who was knocking his opponents dead, all of them in the first round. Tom Casino/ShowtimeMainstream fans will get their first look at Edwin Valero when he meets Antonio DeMarco on Saturday.Īround 2003, word started to spread.
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