I think Valero could outbox him for 12 rounds... he wouldn't bang with Rios and he had skills. He is also faster. That fight wouldn't be easy for anybody. Rios has a great chin but Valero would find him with ease and he could bang. Rios with ease is ludacris! ::
It all comes down to whether or not Valero could hurt Rios. He didn't usually show a lot of skill but packed a serious punch. If his power came up with him to 140 i'd have to favor Valero.
make no mistake valero hit harder than alvarado or anyone else rios fought. he was also faster than rios
I think Valero might be the most overrated, overhyped guy of the last 10-15 years If he hadn't died, he'd have a few losses by now
When he died he was pretty clearly the best lightweight in the world. That's why I said I'd favor him over Rios at 135. At 140, it's possible he wouldn't handle the weight as well. Rios might be too much for him at junior welter. Even at junior welter though, I'm pretty certain that Valero would have beaten Khan and Garcia.
Agreed. I think JMM would have schooled Valero and always wanted to see the fight because of the massive style contrast. What made it extra interesting is that Valero could box a bit (although only showed it in the gym) but Marquez doesn't shy away from a fire fight.
:atu: at this "Valero could box in the gym" nonsense. If he was this skilled boxer in the gym, why did he fight like Mayorga in his professional fights?
I've seen a few of his earlier Japanese bouts, and he looked like a wild, swinging bum then too. I've literally never seen any hint of this mythical boxing ability. When I first saw the guy, I was shocked, given the hype he was receiving.
naw but he showed more skill and controlled aggression in the gym when he was beating the crap out of contenders. KOing some. his japanese foes were equally as scrubby as the ones prior
