At age 19, he fractured his skull and had surgery to remove a blood clot all before making his pro debut. On February 5th, 2001 Valero would be involved in a severe motorcycle accident without wearing a helmet. His unusual tactics would include ‘taking their weapons away’ meaning punching their arms continuously so that round after round they wouldn’t be able to pick their hands up. Like a man possessed, Valero portrayed that he wanted to hurt people. He not only stated that he hit hard but that he used to knock out sparring partners all the time, he would go for the kill constantly. Mikey Garcia, the current WBC lightweight champion (to which Valero used to own) had sparred with him. He stood at 5”6 and weighed 120 pounds, but with everything in his arsenal, it was hard to believe he wasn’t some kind of machine crafted to destroy. Many said that he had a natural talent for fighting and what would be built up to create an iconic boxer. Most boxing trainers from Venezuela were incredibly impressed by the young man’s talent and excited for what the future would hold for him. A national amateur champion for three years running his stamina, pure power and intensity made him a one of a kind fighter and a freak of nature if you will. He became an outstanding amateur knocking down people who had never tasted the canvas and with a final record of 86-6 with 57 KOs. Eventually this temper was channelled into boxing at the age of 12. Born from the rough streets that lie in Valencia, Venezuela, Valero was seen as an outcast from other kids his age, where play fighting would turn into something much more serious.
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