By Cliff Rold
He can punch.
Can he fight?
That’s the question, the big question, still looming over hardcore phenom Edwin Valero. The Venezuelan is boxing’s answer to Kimbo Slice, a YouTube sensation, but with substance. Much of his competition has been there to get run over but in the rare glimpses against proven world class fighters, the result has been the same.
Knockout.
By all rights, Valero should have been a fully proven (or unproven) commodity years ago. Medical questions stemming from head injuries suffered in a motorcycle crash stymied his growth as a professional. Unable to fight in the U.S., Valero took his show on the road, building a cult following and the buzzing question of when he’d be on U.S. screens.
The buzz was partly taken care of when Valero headlined a card in Texas last year but, relegated to an independent pay-per-view; it wasn’t quite what the audience wanted. Now it’s Showtime and it’s, maybe, the best opponent he’s had do far.
Let’s go to the report card.
The Ledgers
Edwin Valero
Age: 28
Title: WBC Lightweight (2009-Present, 1 Defense)
Previous Titles: WBA Jr. Lightweight (2006-08, 4 Defenses)
Height: 5’7 ½
Weight: 135 lbs.
Average Weight – Last Five Fights: 131.7 lbs.
Hails from: Merida, Venezuela
Record: 26-0, 26 KO
BoxingScene Rank: #2 at Lightweight
Record in Major Title Fights: 7-0, 7 KO
Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Defeated: 1 (Vicente Mosquera)
Vs.
Antonio DeMarco
Age: 24
Title: 1st title fight
Height: 5’10
Weight: 135 lbs.
Average Weight – Last Five Fights: 134.4 lbs.
Hails from: Tijuana, Mexico
Record: 23-1-1, 17 KO
BoxingScene Rank: #10 at Lightweight
Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Defeated: 0
Pre-Fight Grades
Speed – Valero A-; DeMarco B
Power – Valero A+; DeMarco B
Defense – Valero C; DeMarco B
Intangibles – Valero B+; DeMarco B+
In this battle of southpaws, most will look to the hammers in Valero’s gloves as his greatest advantage and, while correct, it’s underrated speed which makes them so effective. Valero doesn’t always look fast. He often paws with his right jab and, while he throws the left straight, it comes from an odd angle underneath. In his Lightweight title win over Antonio Pitalua last year, it was a ‘where did that come from’ short right hook which spelled the beginning of the end. Valero fights in gears; his high gear is all catlike quickness.
DeMarco is a tick slower though more consistently the same speed. His is a more traditional, fundamental approach using timing and footwork to be in position to punch. If Valero is charging, a steady DeMarco can counter the offensive machine. DeMarco jabs, holds his hands high, and works nicely to the body. DeMarco’s slower hands can only hurt him if he gets too aggressive. Sometimes, in his last win over Jose Alfaro, he would overextend on the jab and the left hand, leaving openings. Valero can shoot through those gaps. If DeMarco decides to go inside rather than boxing and using an almost three inch height advantage, it could be a costly error.
He can also leave them. As noted, a charging Valero can be vulnerable to DeMarco counters and that’s a problem because his defense is porous. Valero rarely tucks his chin, coming in with it often at a nice catching angle. In his 130 lb. title win against Mosquera, Valero was badly hurt and floored in the third because of it. Mosquera had a quicker trigger than DeMarco does, but less pop in his shots.
To Valero’s credit, he did what he was supposed to do in the Mosquera fight. After dropping the then-titlist in the first, and then taking some time to test the floor himself, Valero got up and boxed smartly before lowering the boom.
DeMarco has showed real professionalism so far, progressing and arguably fighting a better quality of opposition from fight to fight than Valero. Valero’s two best wins, Pitalua and Mosquera, are better than anything on DeMarco’s resume though Kid Diamond could be the equal of the latter. However, he’s seen more looks and been in with more fighters who didn’t just fall apart when touched. If this turns into a lengthy battle, those experiences will matter.
The Pick
It’s hard not to like Antonio DeMarco. Fighters who have clearly worked hard to learn their trade, to become nuanced because they don’t have that one gift which makes them stand out as special, are the lifeblood of boxing.
Valero though is one of the special ones. The power he is gifted with is not a mirage. It’s a blessing from on high. At some point on Saturday, DeMarco is going to get tagged with a shot he’s never felt before. When that happens, the story of the fight will unfold. If he shrugs Valero off, Feburary 6th could give boxing an early contender for Fight of the Year.
If he feels it, and the world can tell, then it’s going to be a long night.
The feeling here is he will feel it but stay on his feet and gut out some winning rounds. He may even have a lead at some point. However, as the accumulation of punishment builds, DeMarco’s chances will erode and Valero will have his second defense of the WBC Lightweight belt completed by stoppage sometime from round eight forward.
Report Card Picks 2010: 1-1
Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com
