“I had noticed that both in the very poor and very rich extremes of society the mad were often allowed to mingle freely.”
― Charles Bukowski, Ham on Rye
Born in Venezuela on December 3rd 1981, this pugilist had a flawless final professional record of 27 wins with 0 losses. But what’s more astonishing is that all of these wins came by way of knockout. He became a world champion in two weight classes. Not only that, he knocked out his first 18 opponents in the first round, a feat so unprecedented he broke the Guinness World Record in doing so. To have knockout power like that as a featherweight and later as a lightweight is unheard of and it is unlikely that we will ever see the likes of it again in our lifetime. But what gives a man the ability to be that ferocious in the ring? And does it come with a price? Strap in because this is a skull crushing, pedal-to-the-metal tale of the most dangerous man to ever lace up a pair of boxing gloves… Edwin ‘El Inca Dinamita’ Valero.
The first high
When Edwin’s father abandoned the family at the tender age of 9, he immediately stopped going to school and joined a local motorcycle gang. Not your typical segue I know, but Venezuela in the early ‘90s and even today is a very dangerous country with a homicide rate just shy of a warzone. It is here that nature met nurture and a monster was born. Rumours have it that a rival thief once stole a motorcycle from Edwin’s gang. Upon hearing about it, a barely-teenage Valero got revenge by shooting him in the head, adding to the already globally recognised murder statistics of a troubled nation. They say that eyes are the windows to the soul; Edwin’s piercing black eyes would only
grow dimmer as he fed his inner demons throughout his lifetime.
It was at this time between the ages of 9 and 15 where ‘El Inca’ developed an insatiable thirst for alcohol and cocaine that would fuel his unrivalled fury for almost two decades.
Young love
By the age of 12, Edwin was homeless, in a gang and on cocaine. In dire need of money, he started working in a local bike shop. The owner recognised that this young boy had a cold fire burning inside him and suggested that he join his boxing club; an invitation that would change the life of Edwin and anyone who was unfortunate enough to come across him.
He was a natural talent accumulating an astonishing amateur record of 86 wins and just 6 losses. However the statistic that has everyone scratching their heads is that 57 of these wins were by way of knockout. Now, if you are unfamiliar to amateur boxing let me give you a better insight into this mind-boggling statistic. Knockouts in amateur boxing are rare. This is because the gloves are heavily cushioned around the fists – which often don’t allow the boxer to make a tight fist, unlike the professional gloves. Amateur fighters wear headgear – which doesn’t stop you getting brain damage but does allow you to make a very tight defensive guard with your large cushioned gloves, making it difficult for your opponent to score a clean shot. Finally, and probably most importantly, featherweight kids do not score knockouts! At least, it is extremely rare for them to do so. Knockouts in amateur boxing are more commonly seen in the heavier weight divisions. As a result, Edwin was a standout fighter with dynamite in his hands, just as his nickname suggests. He would later make the chilling statement, “I like to break the face of the person in front of me”.
However, there was a softer side to Edwin when, at the age of 17, he spotted a young Jennifer Carolina Viera Finol, a pretty 13 year old whose aunt lived near the boxing gym. He quickly became obsessed, saying that he would make her his wife one day. They would later tie the knot, but when Jennifer was just 14, she had agreed to live with Edwin in Tovar, 26 miles west of Caracas. At the time it seemed romantic to those who knew them. She would stay by his side throughout his life and play an important role in his legacy.
Although he made time to win over Jennifer, Edwin’s focus on boxing was not interrupted. He would cement his reputation as a skilled pugilist by going on to win three consecutive national titles from the age of 15. He even journeyed to Argentina at 18 in 2000 to qualify for the Sydney Olympics, however he lost on points to Brazil’s Valdemir Pereira. The journey home would add insult to injury; upon taking the wrong bus Valero found himself robbed at gunpoint – they took his money, his passport and even his silver medal.
Despite this setback, he went on to win the 2000 Central America and Caribbean Championship in Caracas, defeating Francisco Bojado for the gold medal. Bojado would go on to represent Mexico in the Sydney Olympics. Bojado’s trainer, Joe Hernandez, would state in the years after the bout “He was…a monster”.
On a one-way trip
With punching power and ferocity unlike any other prospect, it was clear that Valero’s style was suited for the paid ranks. Although the money has always predominantly been in the heavyweight division, fighters like Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, and a new rising star, Manny Pacquiao were featherweights that were now appearing in the Las Vegas lights. It was a no-brainer that Valero would join them.
However, on February 5, 2001, as if Edwin was Sisyphus and was sentenced to an eternity of brain damage, he was in a terrible motorcycle accident. While speeding at 80kph to get to his father, who had been in a car accident himself, Valero hit a parked car and torpedoed into the air, landing 20 feet away. He wasn’t wearing a helmet.
He spent 13 days in hospital. He had a fractured skull and doctors found a small blood clot between his scalp and skull – not on his brain. He opted for a minor surgery where the clot was drained so that he could get back to boxing quicker. He was 19 years old.
Line them up
While such an accident would have spelled the end of most professional boxing dreams, not so for Edwin Valero. He was determined to step in the ring again, but in the meantime enrolled in the army to support his family. However, without a designated place to put his rage, it seeped into other facets of his life. After two busts for fighting, he was dishonourably discharged. “I like to hit men,” Valero said years later. “It liberates me.”
17 months after the accident, Valero made his professional boxing debut in Caracas, Venezuela. It took him just two minutes and two seconds to knock his opponent, Eduardo Hernandez, unconscious. Hernandez would never step foot in the ring again.
Styles make fights
By the end of 2002, Valero had 5 consecutive first round knockouts. His skillset didn’t vary much. He would throw his right jab from his long southpaw stance with laser-like precision as if he were a fencer. Unique about Valero is that when he decided not to jab, he instead reached out and pulled down his opponents lead hand, leaving them defenceless. He then followed up by a badly-intentioned backhand, with his head positioned defensively off the centre-line before he would uncoil back and upright with a right hook that would snap the life out of his opponent’s body. His mouth would hang open as he would shout like a man possessed with each shot. Sometimes his dance-partners would stay standing, which often lead to a more devastating conclusion as a frenzied blitz of punches would crash towards them as if it was a punishment for trying to last three minutes with him.
The Inca Warrior to Gym Warrior
‘El Inca’s’ reputation would soon make waves in the boxing world and he was invited to Los Angles in preparation for his American pro debut. Joe Hernandez, as mentioned earlier, agreed to assist with the transition. He recalls that nobody could last two rounds with him, even with 16oz gloves and headgear.
In the years to come, Valero would become a legend in different gyms. He would travel from gym to gym in LA punching the daylights out of any man that was willing to share the ring with him. It was reminiscent of when he used to roam the streets in Venezuela challenging men to a fist fight. The current multiple weight division boxing star, Mikey Garcia, has always claimed time and time again that Valero was the toughest spar that he ever had. He said that he used to punch his opponent’s forearms until they couldn’t defend themselves and then would hit them harder than they have ever been hit before.
Just 12 months into his pro career, Valero was called to spar the first Mexican four weight division champion in Érik ‘El Terrible’ Morales. The sparring footage can still be seen online. Each punch landing sounded like a clap of thunder. He made easy work of the boxing veteran and now his name was spreading like wildfire. Morales was training for his upcoming fight with Pacquiao so ‘El Inca’ was already being sized up as a future opponent with ‘Pacman’. One onlooker, Brian Harty of Maxboxing.com would say in complete dismay, “I don’t know how a person is able to summon punch after punch with such aggression like he did, though. Whatever was driving him was right below the surface for him to tap into.” Doug Fischer would describe Valero’s athletic ability in an ESPN.com column as ‘perfection’. Claiming that the only two fighters to come close to what he witnessed were Sugar Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather in their prime.
St. Louis cruiserweight Ryan Coyne recalled watching Valero spar when they were in camps together. “He’d make them cry,” Coyne said. “I’m not exaggerating. Grown men – Professional fighters – would cry.”
The most notorious of Valero’s spars came when he was called to spar The Golden Boy, Oscar De La Hoya for his preparation to fight Manny Pacquiao. After just two days, Edwin was sent home. De La Hoya’s brother famously screamed at Valero’s coach, “Kenny, get this monster out of here.”
Fuelling the demons
Edwin’s differences in the boxing sphere didn’t end with his unique punching power; for his entire career he never stopped drinking or taking cocaine. That’s right, the first round knockouts and sparring demolitions all came from a brain damaged, 5’7”, alcohol and cocaine fiend. The aforementioned Coyne would call him “otherworldly” and a “world champion drinker”. “I thought there was something unreal about Edwin. The way he’d drink all night, and then come in and train; it’s like he’s possessed by a devil. I don’t want to sound like I’m demonising him, because I don’t mean it that way. I’m not religious, really. I know how weird this sounds, but sometimes I’d watch him and think humans couldn’t be that way. There was something supernatural.”
Believe it or not, there were reports that Valero met his equal. That equal came in the form of a psychotic Mexican boxing star, Daniel Ponce de Leon. They were stablemates. They were wild men to begin with but when alcohol was added, forget comparing it to adding tinder to a fire; it was more like launching a grenade at a petrol station. Doug Fischer once recalled the two getting into a particularly nasty brawl with each other in a Dallas hotel lobby. “There were chairs turned over and blood everywhere,” Fischer said. Fischer even goes on to say that “de Leon bit off a piece of Valero’s ear”. Apparently that’s why Valero started growing his hair out.
Matter over mind
In terms of boxing, everything was going in the right direction for Valero. He was now 12-0 with 12 KOs in the first round and signed to Golden Boy Promotions. The excitement came to an end in January 2004 when the New York State Athletic Commission revealed a tiny blemish on Valero’s brain. They denied him a boxing licence and now he was no longer permitted to fight in the US. His American dream was over.
Valero was furious, claiming that it was all due to political reasons because of his ties with dictator, Hugo Chavez. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that this played a role in him losing his licence. However, by this point it would have been more advisable for Valero to be confined to a cage rather than a boxing ring…and I’m not talking an octagon. Not convinced yet? Bear with me.
Medical experts advised Valero to hang up the gloves for good. Did that stop him? Hell no. His first stop was Buenos Aires, Argentina. It’s a short stop as he continued his first round knockout streak. In April 2005, Golden Boy dropped Valero from the roster.
Valero continued as a world traveller, eventually signing with a Japanese promotional company. He would continue his first round knockout streak to 18, earning him the Guinness World Record.
The broken crown
His first world title didn’t come as easy as his previous victories. It was against a tough Panamanian man Vicente Mosquera in his own back yard in Panama City. Both fighters were dropped but in round 10, Mosquera’s corner had seen him take enough punishment and stopped the fight.
Where there’s a will there’s a way
Later, it would come to light that there was a loophole surrounding Valero’s American boxing suspension. Good ole Texas granted him a licence and before you could feed your husband to a tiger, he was back playing Rock ‘Em, Sock ‘Em Brain Cells in the US of A. The silver-haired sly fox Bob Arum was quick to sign him up, eager to match the KO king with superstar Manny Pacquiao in what would have been a PPV blockbuster.
One request made by the Texas boxing commission was for Valero to not wear an image of Chavez on his boxing shorts – this was because Chavez continuously mocked America during his presidency. Valero agreed…but then wore head to toe Venezuela colours, including his gum shield, topping it off with a giant tattoo of Chavez on his chest.
Valero’s US return was against a durable Antonio Pitalua with a record of 47W (41KOs) 3L(1KO). His fight with Pituala can only be considered an assault. Pituala hit him a good shot with two seconds to go at the end of round one and you could see Valero was visibly annoyed that he couldn’t hit him after the bell. He carried that anger with him and hit Pitalua with a violent backhand front hook just seven seconds into round two – smashing Pituala’s face and sent him crashing to the canvas. Violent flurries knocked him twice more, finishing him off in just fourty-nine seconds into round two. He was now a two weight world champion.
The excitement was short lived though. Soon after his fight, Valero was pulled over for driving while drunk and carrying an unlicensed firearm. Valero could no longer get a visa for the US and again blamed it on political motives. Maybe he shouldn’t have gotten that Chavez tattoo…
Edwin moved back to Venezuela and appeared as a hero on Chavez’s television show, Hello President. He would go on to defend his title twice more. His last fight was against Antonio DeMarco 23W(17KOs) 1L on 6th of February 2010. DeMarco retired on his stool after round nine. This was hailed as Valero’s greatest performance.
“To love is to destroy and that to be loved is to be destroyed” – Cassandra Clare
The real tragedy here is not that of Edwin’s own downfall. Nor is it that of the fans missing out on enormous blockbuster showdowns with the likes of Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather. It is the tragedy of the death of Jennifer Carolina Viera Finol, and the destruction of the lives of Edwin Valero Jr. and Jennifer Roselyne Valero.
As a clear image of the type of man Valero was emerges, stop and take a second to think what it must be like for a young girl to grow up with a stone-fisted, brain damaged, coke-fuelled maniac who was friends with the dictator of their crime-ridden home country. As I said at the start, this one does not end well. Cocaine made Valero paranoid and his jealousy always centred on his precious wife. He would go crazy if a family member would say hello or kiss the cheek of his wife. At one point she suffered a gunshot wound to the leg. It allegedly was a shot fired by a gang member, however many believe that Valero’s delusional psychotropic excuses wouldn’t last daylight if it happened outside of Venezuela.
After the DeMarco win, Valero went on cocaine and alcohol binge. On March 20th, a few weeks after, Jennifer was admitted the University Hospital of Los Andes, the same hospital where she was previously treated for a mysterious gunshot wound. This time she had two fractured ribs, perforation of the pleural membrane of both lungs, bruises on the thorax and a deep bite mark on her back – the poor woman. Several family members followed her to the hospital, including Edwin. When the car stopped at a red light en route, Edwin said he had to make a call, jumped out and ran off. The family continued on. Edwin turned up at the hospital five days later and began threatening hospital staff who were treating Jennifer. He approached her, held his finger to his eyebrow, miming a gun and started shouting something in Japanese. The deranged lunatic even tried to fight the police who arrived to arrest him.
Three days later he was taken to court. A clearly terrified Jennifer denied that Valero had anything to do with her injuries and family members confirmed an obviously made up story about her falling down a stairs and a random woman biting her back. The court ordered that Valero be admitted to the San Juan do Dios Psychiatric hospital for six months of treatment and observation. He was also ordered to undergo sensitivity training at the Merideno Institute for Women and the Family. In the meantime, Valerio was to remain in police custody and to stay away from Jennifer. Edwin and Jennifer left the court together. They held hands.
Once admitted to hospital, the psychiatrist who diagnosed Valero noted “there was a daily frequency for the consumption of cocaine and alcohol in variable quantities greater than ten grams.” Valero was discharged after just three days because they stated that his pathology was of the sort that they couldn’t “take care of him there” and it was arranged that he go to Cuba to get help. While in the custody of guards to escort him to the airport, Valero decided that he wasn’t going, so he punched the officers unconscious, took their car and sped away. Despite being so drunk he repeatedly crashed his getaway car, he successfully escaped. He filled his pockets with cash, bought more cocaine, rented a Toyota Land Cruiser and went to convince Jennifer to join him on the run. Perhaps there was an element of Stockholm syndrome here or maybe it was outright fear but she packed her bags and off they went. Valero by this point wasn’t eating, wasn’t sleeping, was under huge emotional stress and was filled to the brim with drugs and alcohol; it was a recipe for disaster.
At 11:39pm Edwin and Jennifer checked into The Hotel Intercontinental overlooking Valencia. Before going into their room, Valero’s paranoia flared up once more when he asked the hotel security to check under the beds and closet to make sure that nobody was there before they entered.
At 5:30am the next morning, Valero approached the front desk covered in blood and calmly announced that he had killed his wife. She was 24 years old.
Police were called and he was taken into custody. Two days later, Edwin Valero was found hanging by his tracksuit bottoms in his jail cell. He was 28 years old.
“The world is a dangerous place. Not because of the people who are evil; but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.” – Albert Einstein
Edwin ‘El Inca Dinamita’ Valero
Professional Record: 27W(27KOs) 0L
Years active: 2002 – 2010
To read more about the life of Edwin Valero, click the link below to buy Bersek by Don Stradley
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