On Sunday, April 18, previous WBA Super Featherweight Champion and WBC Lightweight Champion Edwin Valero was arrested for the alleged murder of his wife, Jennifer Viera in Caracas, Venezuela. He was found later hanging by his own clothes, having committed suicide. He was 28 years old. He was an undefeated southpaw, and a boxing legend in the making. He had a string of 27 wins, all from knockouts, and of the 27 KOs to his credit, 19 occurred within the first round.
Caracas the scene of tragedy
In the early morning hours of Sunday, April 18, Edwin Valero left his hotel room and told hotel security he had murdered his wife. Jennifer Viera, 24, was found dead by police from multiple stab wounds. He was taken into custody, and when awaiting arraignment and charges, Valero hung himself using his sweat pants as a rope, according to the Huffington Post.
Valero marks the third high profile pugilists’ death within the last few years. Arturo Gatti was found dead from strangulation, and Alexis Arguello was found dead from a gunshot wound. Gatti’s death was ruled a suicide, but a ruling on Arguello is nevertheless pending.
A troubled but legendary career in the making
Edwin Valero was a boxing sensation. Southpaws are few between, even fewer with his knockout power. He went undefeated for 27 fights, all knockouts, 19 of which in the first round, breaking a record that stood given that 1905. His first 18 fights as a professional were all first round knockouts, making him a phenomenon.
Injury marred his career
He sustained an injury while motorcycling without a helmet, which almost killed his career in the crib. He didn’t fight in the US between 2003 and 2009, as numerous state governing agencies wouldn’t license him to fight as a result of his injury. He won the vacant WBA Lightweight title in 2009, by defeating Antonio Pitalua in the second round via (TKO) referee stoppage. Few could match him pound for pound.
Assaults were alleged
Twice, Valero had been alleged to have committed assault, but both times it was dismissed. He was ordered to get six months of counseling and rehabilitation in March of 2010. Not a soul will ever know exactly what touched off the Edwin Valera wife murder suicide. Let us hope his friends, family, and fans, can discover some measure of peace during difficult times.
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