Many boxing fans have heard of Edwin Valero, but they’ve never seen him. This Saturday boxing fans will have their chance. Valero takes on Antonio DeMarco in Monterrey, Mexico and it will be televised by Showtime. The action begins at 9pm ET with an undercard fight pitting Luis Carlos Abregu against Richard Gutierrez.
Edwin Valero vs. Antonio DeMarco (WBC Lightweight Title)
It’s not often that a boxer with the resumé of Edwin Valero’s is still widely unknown amongst casual boxing fans. After all, Valero sports a perfect 26-0 record with every win coming by knockout. In fact, 19 of his 26 knockouts have come in the first round. An inability to get licensing in the United States has hurt Valero’s chances of gaining mainstream recognition. His bout on Showtime this Saturday will be the first time many have seen this power-punching dynamo. Valero, a southpaw, likes to press the action and end the fight as soon as possible.
Antonio DeMarco, 23-1-1 (17 KOs), has been on a roll as of late, even if he has picked up some good fortune along the way. DeMarco defeated Anges Adjaho in July of last year when Adjaho, in control of the fight, tried to act his way into a point deduction after being knocked down. The act didn’t work and Adjaho was counted out. DeMarco is also a southpaw with a propensity to engage in a brawl. At just 24 years of age, DeMarco just may have enough gumption to think he can pull off the upset.
Staff Predictions
Corey: I’m buying into the hype behind Edwin Valero, at least for this one. His defense is porous and he gets tagged more than he probably should, but it’s all part of the way he chooses to fight. And with 26 knockouts in 26 fights, it’s worked out well so far. The only question now is whether he carries that aura into the limelight and delivers on the big stage. DeMarco is a solid fighter with good but not great technical prowess. His best chance is to drag the fight beyond the middle rounds and counter Valero late. But DeMarco’s still a brawler at heart, and once Valero gets him swinging, he’ll eventually be stopped, somewhere around round 9.
Trent: It has been 26 up and 26 down for Edwin Valero. His streak will come to an end at some point, so you need to ask yourself if Antonio DeMarco is the one. The answer is no. The next question becomes when the fight will end. Most Valero fights end early. Obviously he does not get paid by the round. I could see it ending earlier, but I will say Valero wins by KO in the 5th round. DeMarco will find himself trailing early in the fight and will throw caution to the wind as he tries to make a change in momentum. That will, in turn, spell the end of the night for DeMarco.
