Edwin Valero Looking to Make Some Waves
Posted by Patrick Cassidy on 03.23.2009
Valero: "I'm too fast, I'm too strong."
Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank
The past few years have been a wild ride for lightweight sensation Edwin Valero. After being banned from fighting in the United States, the undefeated knockout artist has taken his craft overseas laying a path of destruction in his way. Valero finally makes his return to the United States when he takes on equally dangerous Antonio Pitaula for the vacant WBC Interim Lightweight title on Saturday April 4th.
Despite call outs to some of the bigger names in the division including Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao. Valero has assured his fan base he is not about to overlook Pitaula. "He's a good fighter. But I know my capacity. I know what I can do, and I know what Pitaula brings. And he's a fighter on that night. He's gonna roll; he's gonna fall. He's too slow for me. I'm too fast, too strong. And I want to fight the best. He's a good fighter, but I'm up for bigger and better things".
Valero also claims that the move to lightweight will be no problem for him. Even pointing out the fact that before he was mandated to make weight for title defenses he often fought at 135 or above. "I feel very strong at lightweight. In the beginning of my career as their were not titles on the line I did not have to drop down to 130. So out of my 24 fights about 14 or 15 were at lightweight" Valero also maintains that he will campaign at 135 for quite some time and looks to fight the best the division has to offer. " I'd like to stay here for a few years, bring some heat to the division; face the toughest opponents out there, and in the future move up to 140 where I think I can do something in boxing" explained Valero.
Of course the topic of Valero's health is always an issue on the forefront of many in the boxing media. Valero contends he is healthy and his situation is not one which puts him in any egregious danger. Or as Valero explained. "Every fighter that steps into that ring runs the risk of being injured or hurt. And I am in no more risk than any other fighter. I want to clarify what happened to me was an accident. It happened on my motorcycle. It was very minor and wasn't what it was played out to be. It was outside my brain. It wasn't like they took my brain out, washed it, and put it back in. It was a vein that erupted an they took care of it. I've been to doctors all over the world. I've been to Panama. I've been to Venezuela. I've seen the best doctors in the United States"
If his healthy truly is fine than Valero appears set to make major waves within the United States. It's been a long hard battle for the champion to once again fight in this country and he will need to prove all the hype that has been built overseas translates when he comes stateside to take on the very dangerous Antonio Pitaula.
