Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said he was planning to match unbeaten knockout artist Edwin Valero against his prized fighter Manny Pacquiao for a huge money fight within a few more bouts for the Venezuelan boxer. Arum said: “I was grooming Valero as a future opponent for Manny Pacquiao”. That would have been a sensational fight.” Unfortunately, that fight will never happen now that Valero has committed suicide inside his prison cell in Venezuela.
Valero was arrested for suspicion of killing his wife last Sunday. Today, Valero was found hanging in his jail cell. He used his clothes to hang himself on the bars of his cell. This is very tragic not only to his family and children, but also to his fans and the whole boxing community. Valero was a very special fighter and could have been great had he lived and continued his career.
Arum was not aware of how bad Valero’s problem was, saying “I had heard stories about drug and alcohol abuse, but I never realized the magnitude of it. The few times I met with him, he seemed perfectly normal.” A fight with Pacquiao would have had straightened Valero’s mind. Valero had not fought over lightweight but it’s interesting to imagine what would have happened if he and Pacquiao had fought each other. Both fighters are known to stand and fight toe-to-toe. Both are about the same height, have unorthodox fighting style, and crushing power to knockout their opponents. Who would have won? The question will be left unanswered forever.
