Over this time, he carried on his 100% knockout ratio and gained attention from many notable boxing stars. He would go on to make four defences of his super featherweight crown before moving up to challenge for the WBC lightweight title. Valero gained the reputation of being one of the most dangerous men in boxing and it didn’t stop there. Round after round, Valero would punish his opponent into the 10th when a stoppage would finally come. Mosquera showed grit and heart as he got back up and continued battling, but so did Valero after being knocked down in the third. Before this fight was his first time going past a round, this time it would be his first going past two… The world title bout would start with Valero showing sheer aggression against his first opponent that wouldn’t just give up, knocking him down twice in the first round in the process. He had everything it took to make him a superstar in the sport, he would not fight in USA but elsewhere until 2009.Ģ006 saw Valero fight for his first world title - the WBA Super Featherweight belt against Vincente Mosquera in Panama City. You wouldn’t expect someone suspended to be in the gym and training every day. The thought of never knowing if you could fight again would leave you mentally devastated (especially so early in his career) but not Valero. Sadly he received a suspension which stopped him from boxing in the States. In 2004, when Valero was 12-0, the idea of stardom was almost a reality when he was signed by Golden Boy Promotions. He became the best prospect to come out of Venezuela in 30 years and rightly so, he destroyed every fighter that got in the ring with him, a walking death machine. He conquered all of his next 17 opponents inside a round, the sheer power, agility and ability to throw countless hard punches got him into the position of making a big name for himself. He wouldn’t turn pro until July 9th 2002 taking two minutes and constant power punches to make his opponent drop in a corner of the ring. At age 19, he fractured his skull and had surgery to remove a blood clot all before making his pro debut. On February 5th, 2001 Valero would be involved in a severe motorcycle accident without wearing a helmet. His unusual tactics would include ‘taking their weapons away’ meaning punching their arms continuously so that round after round they wouldn’t be able to pick their hands up. Like a man possessed, Valero portrayed that he wanted to hurt people. He not only stated that he hit hard but that he used to knock out sparring partners all the time, he would go for the kill constantly. Mikey Garcia, the current WBC lightweight champion (to which Valero used to own) had sparred with him. He stood at 5”6 and weighed 120 pounds, but with everything in his arsenal, it was hard to believe he wasn’t some kind of machine crafted to destroy. Many said that he had a natural talent for fighting and what would be built up to create an iconic boxer. Most boxing trainers from Venezuela were incredibly impressed by the young man’s talent and excited for what the future would hold for him. A national amateur champion for three years running his stamina, pure power and intensity made him a one of a kind fighter and a freak of nature if you will. He became an outstanding amateur knocking down people who had never tasted the canvas and with a final record of 86-6 with 57 KOs. Eventually this temper was channelled into boxing at the age of 12. (The United States eventually led a boycott of the 1980 Olympics because of the Soviet-Afghan War.Born from the rough streets that lie in Valencia, Venezuela, Valero was seen as an outcast from other kids his age, where play fighting would turn into something much more serious. Although most of the boxers were still in their developmental stage, outside of prospective medal challenger Lemuel Steeples, each member aspired to represent the United States in the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. The potential Olympic dreams of the 14 boxers were destroyed in the horrific accident. The average age of the 14 boxers was only 20 ½, ranging from 27 year-old Walter Harris to 16 year-old Byron Payton. Team USA was traveling to Poland to compete in two international amateur boxing dual events. All 87 passengers died, including 14 boxers and eight officials on the USA Boxing team, due to a disintegration of a turbine disc in one of the plane's engines that ultimately failed. Kennedy Airport in New York City crashed a half-mile from Okecie Airport in Warsaw, Poland. One of the darkest days in American sports history occurred 40 years ago today, when Polish Airlines flight #7 that had departed John F.
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