Former WBA Super Featherweight Champion and WBC Lightweight Champion Edwin Valero was detained for allegedly murdering his wife on Sunday April 18. He later hung himself in his jail cell after being detained by police, allegedly using his own clothes to carry out his suicide. He was a mere 28 years of age. 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 in 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. Police entered the room and discovered the body of Jennifer Viera, aged 24, stabbed to death. He was arrested, and while awaiting charges, Valero hung himself, according to the Huffington Post, by his own sweat pants.The last few years have seen three high profile boxers meet a violent end. Arturo Gatti was found dead from strangulation, and Alexis Arguello was found dead from a gunshot wound. Arguello's death hasn't been ruled on, but Gatti's was considered a suicide.
A talent unmatched but tarnished
Edwin Valero had no peer. Fighters with his knockout power are few, and southpaws like him are fewer. All of his professional fights were knockout wins, and 19 of the 27 fights he had were over within the first round, breaking a record which had stood since 1905. His first 18 fights as a professional were all first round knockouts, making him a sensation.
Hampered by an injury
Edwin Valero's career nearly didn't get off the ground, as he sustained a head injury from a motorcycle accident just before his professional debut. The brain trauma he sustained was just enough to get him denied license in many U.S. state governing bodies, and as a result he didn't fight within the US between 2003 and 2009. In 2009, he fought in Texas, winning the vacant WBC Lightweight title defeating Antonio Pitalua, by referee stoppage (TKO) within the second round. There are few boxers who could match his power, pound for power.
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. Nobody will ever know exactly what touched off the Edwin Valera wife murder suicide. Hopefully, his family and friends can discover some measure of peace.