An Ungainly Valero Captures WBC Title

Undefefeated Venezuelan lightweight Edwin
Valero ran his ring record to a perfect 25-0, with 25 knockouts by stopping outgunned Antonio Pitalua (46-4) for the vacant WBC Lightweight championship at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas on Saturday night on yet another winning Golden Boy Promotions Texas boxing card.

The awkward, yet powerful Venezuelan simply overwhelmed his smaller opponent from the start, landing southpaw jabs and clubbing lefts whenever and wherever he pleased. A swinging right hook dropped the Colombian seconds into the start of the second round as he had to use the ropes to steady himself, and Valero deposited him once again onto the floor seconds later with a volley of lefts and rights.
Pitalua beat the count, but it was over seconds later when Valero punched him around on shaky legs and right into referee Cole who waved it off at the 49 second mark.


Edwin Valero leaves a lot to be desired as a fighter, however. He is wide open as he stands straight up and leaves his chin exposed in the air like a ship's mast.

When Valero punches, he brings his hands back dangerously low to the hip level, lunges in at his opponent leaving himself free and open, and has no defense whatsoever to speak of that this writer can see. Valero is the hardest puncher in the lightweight rankings, but needless to say, needs a whole lot of work, preferably learning a bit of boxing 101 before getting in there with the division's elite.


Powerful Australian lightweight Michael Katsidis (25-2, 21 KO's) may have ended the career of former lightweight champion Jesus Chavez (44-5, 30 KO's) by administering a thorough beating to the former titlist in front of his hometown crowd. Chavez landed some good punches on the aggressive Ausssie, but it was apparent from the outset that he had neither the power nor the strength to keep Katsidis off of him for any extended period of time.


Katsidis drove Chavez back to the ropes time and again throughout a heated first four rounds, and then opened a cut high on his forehead in some furious infighting in round five that bled heavily from that point onward. Katsidis hammered a fatigued and discouraged Chavez from pillar to post in the sixth and seventh, and Chavez called it quits in the corner at the end of the seventh round.

The San Antonio crowed was very unsportsmanlike, booing Katsidis loudly at every available opportunity, and some bums disguised as fight fans actually threw refuse at him as he exited the ring.

2004 Olympian Vicente Escobedo (20-1,12 KO's) scored the biggest win of his career with a dominant and bloody, yet hard fought victory over former jr. lightweight titlist Carlos Hernandez (43-8-1, 24 KO's) in a fight that thrilled the crowd in attendance. The Nacho Beristain trained Escobed dropped Hernandez in each of the first two rounds with heavy right hand counters, but the wily old veteran gamely fough back and made a fight of it.

The action featured many toe to toe exchanges, but Escobedo was the better technician and most always finished on toip with his crisper and more precise left hooks, jabs, and sizzling right hands. Hernandez was awarded a knockdown in the sixth as he stepped on Escobedo's feet and swung a right to the ribs as Escobedo fell off balance to the floor unhurt.

The final four rounds saw Escobedo hitting Hernandez with everything but the ringpost, but the game ex-champion fought back hard through the pain and blood, and closed strong by winning the final round over his younger foe.

It was too little, too late however as Escobedo pulled out the unanimous decision.

Rolando Reyes (31-4-2, 20 KO's) upset former IBF Lightweight titleholder Julio Diaz (36-5, 26 KO's) with a 5th round TKO. Diaz appeared listless and just going through the motions as he pawed with his jab while advancing forward, and neither fighter did a whole lot of anything in the first several rounds as the crowd booed loudly at the end of every round.

Reyes landed a couple of nice right counters in the first four rounds as Diaz looked nothing like the fighter that once struck fear in the hearts of every champion and contender lin the lightweight division. Reyes jumped into action in the fifth, nailing the slow Diaz with a right hand a follow up hook which sent Julio crashing to the canvas.

Diaz beat the count but was met with a volley of lefts and rights as he attempted to hold on, but Reyes spun him and punched him once more to the floor with a hook and right hand and referee Alvarez waved the contest off at the 2:17 mark to the delight of the crowd.

Julio has always been one of the nice guys in boxing, and has carried himself as a good ambassador for the sport, and this writer hopes he will call it a career at this point as he has nothing left to prove and is far past his peak as a fighter.

The arena appeared to be about 2/3 full as the promotion was competing with the Texas Relays at the University of Texas, but Golden Boy did yet another outstanding job with their boxing product in the Lone Star State. The Italian buffet for the media was superb, and our thanks go out to Public Relations Director Ramiro Gonzalez, and Public Relations Coordinator, Monica Sears.

See you next time!

Karl Hegman

 

i hope no one published this

 

:boohoo:

 

Smegman stikes again.

 

I could go for an Italian buffet right about how. What were they serving Karl?

 

Criticize the fighter and thank the public relations people...fantastic stuff.

 

All jokes aside, the commentary about Valero in the fight RECAP is unprofessional.

A fight recap is just that...a recap. Not a place for a personal discussion.

 

one of the best and most objective pieces of journalism ever penned























































no, its a piece of shit

 

I hope he fights Diaz. What will be your excuse after he slaughters the Baby Cow?

 

no one has ever accused the follicular one of exuding professionalism or objectivity.

he keeps harping on valero's huge size advantage despite the fact that pitalua had been fighting most of his career at and above superlightweight where as valero just moved up to lightweight. go figure.

 

You can't really expect any kind standards on the internet.

I do love how, given all the candidates on the card you could criticize for their abilities, this particular writer only chose Valero.

Yeah, he criticized Diaz's performance, but couched it with this "Diaz looked nothing like the fighter that once struck fear in the hearts of every champion and contender lin the lightweight division".

 

Maybe he'd recycle this line:

"Diaz looked nothing like the fighter that once struck fear in the hearts of every champion and contender lin the lightweight division".

 

:laughing:

 

::

 

I found nothing unprofessional about this.

 

This post is unprofessional.

 

Well, I'm not even sure "professional" is the right word. Are we talking about someone who's getting paid?

 

I hope not

because I'm in the wrong line of work if that is the case

 

and what's with the font size?

 

its because Smegman is yelling at us, WWE style

 

You're probably correct...when you have rank amatuers writing for a website, it is poor form to call his work unprofessional.

Valero is to Sugar Ray Robinson what this guy is to Ernest Hemingway.

 

Are you hoping he reaches a similar demise?

 

:laughing:
:laughing:
:laughing:
:laughing:
:laughing:
:laughing:

 

Spaghetti with meatballs, lasagna, salad, romaine lettuce salad, hot rolls, iced tea, chocolate cheesecake and ice cold milk.

So many envious posters here, not only just because I told the truth about that pug, but they are still jealous of me going years back.

You folks best get over it, everything in that piece was the truth.

I gave him credit for being the hardest puncher in the division, and said he is very strong, but big punchers with glaring technical flaws like Valero tend to have short shelf lives.

 

Writers R ENTITLED To their Opinions, Write???::...But Seriously,it's REFRESHING to REED when a Boxing Puts HIMSELF "Out There"....Faaaaaaaaaaaaar Toooooooo MANY Pugilistic Journalists R "Objective" to the Point of Being BORING & NON-COMMITTAL...

Like it or Not, Brother Karl has STRONG Opinions about Valero, he Put it ON PAPER & he's STANDING BY it....How is that a BAD Thing???...


REED:dunno:

 

In theory, I don't have a problem with an internet writer including some opinion in an article, but why is Valero singled out in this piece?

Where's the technical breakdown of the other fighters? Or at least the other winners, like Katsidis, Escobedo? Do they not have obvious deficiencies? If so, then why aren't they focused on as well? And why is this writer only putting himself "out there" by criticizing one fighter on the card to this extent?

And why does the writer feel it necessary to use phrases like " leaves a lot to be desired as a fighter" and "needs a whole lot of work, preferably learning a bit of boxing 101"?

The author did talk critically of Julio Diaz, but even then, it was his performance that he was critical of, and he threw in a big kiss on the ass while doing it with this line..."looked nothing like the fighter that once struck fear in the hearts of every champion and contender lin the lightweight division".

If this author writes a recap of next weeks event, can we expect a similar critique of Chris Arreola?

 

::

A fight recap turns into an editorial just like that. :doh:

 

Wasn't Valero the WINNER N the PPV Main Event???...It's NOT Exacly Unheard of to FOCUS on that Person N a Post-Fight Article Is It???...Karl Broke Down the Fight Containing the Headliner....Again, Karl Put Himself "Out There"...Sooner or Later, his Opinions WILL Prove to B TRUE or FALSE...



REED:mj:

 

If the "article" was only about the main event, then perhaps the point would have more validity.

 

No one is criticizing him for stating his opinion.

It's in the format of a straight article and then out of left field starts criticizing a fighter. It's not just "unorthodox" it's actually cringe worthy.

Editorials are written in a completely different format. Usually with an intro involving the setting, the occasion, then continuing to take an opinionated look at the fights.

Internet journalism = :shit: