By Craig-Joe Daly: Edwin Valero was an awesome power to behold. He caught the boxing world’s attention after ringing up 18 straight first round knockouts in his first 18 bouts. His tumultuous and self destructive behaviour outside the ring wasn’t quite as well known to the boxing community, as it was to those in his native Venezuela. These acts of aggression were, its been said covered up by law enforcement authorities due to the lightweight champion’s close relationship with the country’s President Hugo Chavez, who’s face Valero had tattooed on his chest along with the Venezuelan flag.

We all later found out these addictive personality traits stemmed as far as cocaine use, alcoholism and domestic abuse, primarily directed towards females close to him. His reckless endeavours demonstrated just prior to him launching his pro career should have served as a warning for what was to follow. In 2001, Valero was involved in a motorcycle accident while not wearing a helmet resulting in a fractured skull and was subsequently treated to remove a blood clot.

This incident would stymie his professional career in the US as no state athletic commission would pass him fit to fight until Texas eventually relented in 2009. It was around this time reports of domestic abuse began to surface and following a year of run ins with the authorities, which culminated in his young wife Jennifer being admitted to hospital following injuries sustained from what she and Edwin claimed to be a fall down a stairway, Valero was sent to six months of rehabilitation at a psychiatric clinic due to his hostile behaviour towards the doctors treating Jennifer.

Within weeks however he was out and what followed was the gruesome death of his 24 year old wife, Jennifer Carolina Viera at the hands of her husband and his suicide in the immediate aftermath of the killing. The man with an unblemished boxing record of 27 wins all by stoppage was found hanging from his jeans in his prison cell following his admission that the previous day he’d repeatedly stabbed and taken a blade to his young bride’s throat. How much did the aforementioned cerebral hemorrhage affect his later life? And how could someone that seemed so impenetrable when battling the world’s elite fighters in turn be so weak when dealing with his own emotional makeup.