(This piece appeared in 8CountNews on April 7, 2009)

by Mark Lorenzana

If there are still any doubts about Edwin Valero’s punching power and what he brings to the table in terms of fistic excitement, then perhaps his two-round demolition of Antonio Pitalua last Saturday night should erase all that.

Sure, Pitalua is not one of the top contenders in the stacked lightweight division. But he is by no means a slouch either. He has a decent professional record, he has been around the fight game for a while, and he is a knockout artist himself.

One would have expected Pitalua, a veteran, to have been more composed. One would have expected Pitalua to execute a game plan against the Venezuelan. Perhaps he could have jabbed more to keep Valero at bay? Maybe he could have used the ring to his advantage and boxed more?

Easy for us to say. We weren’t in the ring with someone whose single punch could send anyone to dreamland in an instant.

For most of the opening round, Pitalua’s body language said it all. He was somewhat tentative, and he seemed tense. He hardly threw a punch. And when Valero unloaded some of his wild swings, Pitalua could not capitalize on the counterpunch. Pitalua managed to connect a few of his shots before the bell sounded, but it hardly meant anything at all. Certainly not to Valero.

Especially since Valero already smelled and sensed fear.

In the second round it was just a matter of time – 49 seconds to be exact. Valero continued to pressure Pitalua, and El Inca hit pay dirt. A cracking right hook from Valero connected to Pitalua’s chin and the Colombian dropped like a sack of potatoes. Pitalua managed to get up but was smothered again by power punches from Valero. Pitalua went down for the second time, and again got up on wobbly legs. A third serving of punches from Valero put Pitalua down for good.

With the win, Valero claimed the WBC lightweight title vacated by pound-for-pound champion Manny Pacquiao.

Valero wants to face more noteworthy opponents. Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton are just a few of the big names that are currently in Valero’s sights.

“If Manny Pacquiao or Hatton give me an opportunity, I would consider moving up and fighting them,” said Valero. “This is the beginning of big things. No man can take my punch.”

And of course, there’s reigning lineal lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez.

“Marquez is a little better than any of the others,” said Valero. “If it was up to me, I would want that fight [Marquez], but it is up to [promoters] Bob Arum and Golden Boy to make it happen.”

Bob Arum tends to agree, and is keen on making the fight happen.

“Well, the son of a bitch can really bang, we know,” said Arum just minutes after Valero’s destruction of Pitalua. “Now, I don’t want to give him a long layoff. I want him to get back in action real quick. Any lightweight in the world. I’d like him to fight Marquez, that would be great, anybody, Diaz, Linares. He’ll fight anybody. I think he’s really something special.”

Valero’s statement that no man can take his punch is pretty hard to debate. So far, all 25 of his opponents didn’t manage to hear the final bell. Heck, more than 90 percent of his victims didn’t even reach the third round.

However, Valero’s statement that it could be the start of “big things” for him could still be argued.

Winning a title does not instantly guarantee a big paycheck. To get a bigger purse, you have to dance with the big boys. And there are a couple of things that might hamper Valero’s chances of landing a fight with the bigger names in boxing.

First, Valero is still somewhat of an enigma. His smashing win notwithstanding, Valero’s name doesn’t exactly ring a bell to the casual boxing fan. His last fight in the US prior to last Saturday’s win in Texas was six years ago when he knocked out unheralded Tomas Zambrano in one round. A fractured skull and blood clot suffered due to a motorcycle accident in the amateur ranks and a subsequent failed MRI in 2004 have hampered Valero from fighting in the US. That’s why he has been forced to ply his trade outside the US, mostly in Japan, in Venezuela, and in other countries. Valero has only been recently cleared to box in the state of Texas, and so far other states have yet to follow suit. This has contributed much to Valero’s relative obscurity. Realistically speaking, big names sell lots of tickets. Practically speaking, big names want to fight other big names.

Second, believe it or not, is Valero’s punching power. He packs one-punch knockout power in both fists, a rarity in the lower weight classes. So it might be a bit difficult to find a big-named fighter out there who would be willing to step up to the plate against a murderous puncher with a lot of pop, especially someone who does not bring in as much money to the table.

There is no doubt that Edwin Valero brings heaps of excitement in every fight. There is no doubt that El Inca is supremely talented in terms of raw punching power.

It is just a shame that his talent, his blessing, might prove to be his curse as well.