Where do you rank Edwin Valero?

As a person, brain damaged most likely but the act was evil, historically? A top prospect who committed a horrendous crime, obvious talent a top tier one - H2H? I don’t think that’s fair to the proven greats, he could be very high but we didn’t get to see it.

 

Just like Salvador Sanchez, Edwin Valero is a b ig question mark.

How far could or would have he gone had he not been an abusive, murderous POS?...We will never know.

 

I dont

 

Please never ever ever again mention these two in the same sentence.

One had the deepest resume of all time for a 23-year-old.

The other beat nothing but bums and fringe contenders.

 

I repeat myself: We do not know how far he would have gone

 

With Valero, one has perhaps even less to go on than with Ibeabuchi. I think I would struggle to put him in a Top-50.

The division is so deep, with plenty of storied careers, while Valero was just at the beginning of his world level pursuits when tragedy struck. So, his numbers are stunted.

From my perspective, he really only made a stark impression in one fight - his last.

The DeMarco bout showcased the much rumored skills of Proto-Valero - those reported early days and signs of prowess. The famed power was also on display, but rather than take DeMarco out, Valero used it to beat him into submission. All this while carrying a ghastly cut to the head, as well as a minor cut on his eyelid, the positioning of which made it a danger.

DeMarco wasn't bad either, and would later have his moment in the sun, beating Linares for the vacant WBC Title and defending successfully a couple of times.

All of that said, even the head-to-head question is difficult to answer. Valero's power was real but it was not the final word at the top tier, IMO. I think truly world class practitioners could likely handle it, while outgunning Valero in different ways.

We will never know into what that potential could have been transformed. We can only speculate as to how he might have fared and a specific rating is altogether more difficult.

 

Another drug addicted, violent sociopath like Tony Ayala. Through their own scummy behaviour their careers ended before they got their arse beat in the ring. Valero couldn't defend himself but had weird guys like Doug Fischer claiming he'd have competed with an ATG like Manny Pacquiao. Similar to the gibberish spoken 30 years earlier about Ayala bashing up Duran and Hearns before his true test against Hagler.

 

Valero to me looked like a poor mans version of Pacquiao he was good but i don't think he was quite as good as the hype suggests.

Nowhere near top 50 for me.

As for a fighter who would've defused him ? Simple Juan Manuel Marquez who defused a much better version of Valero in Pacquiao.

 

He fought mainly at 130 and only had 3 fights at 135. Fought mostly scrubs and his biggest wins consists of Vicente Mosquera, Antonio Pitalua, Hector Velazquez and Antonio DeMarco. Not exactly the kind of resume that screams Top 50, let alone Top 100 at both 130 or 135. The only reason he's been hyped up so much was because of his aggressive style, punching power, undefeated record and winning every fight by KO. For whatever reason he gained some kind of mythical reputation as this feared monster when in reality he was nothing more than a crude brawler who was going to be exposed at some point. Many fighters would have defused him. JMM and Pacquiao would have especially destroyed him quite easily.

 

Ibeabuchi proved A LOT more than Valero. That comparison is an insult to Ike.

The Valero/Ayala Junior comparison is the one that makes more sense. For me, Ayala Junior was a lot more talented and skilled.

Valero was sh!!t imo.

He was one fight away from getting exposed. People either forget or are new to the sport and dont know that at the time of his incident he was scheduled to fight Bradley.

Tim would have beaten the brakes off Valero and the myth would have been over. Luckily for Valero's fraudulent legacy, he died with his 0 in tact.