Arum was eyeing future bout between Pacman, Valero

Edwin Valero's suicide also killed his dream to fight Filipino boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao. The brother of the late Venezuelan two-time world champion said that it was Valero’s long-time goal of facing Pacquiao inside the ring. Valero was also one of Pacquiao's special guests when the Filipino boxing icon celebrated his 30th birthday in Generals Santos City in 2008. Edward Valero said that his brother would often talk to him about his desire to challenge the man considered the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter. "He always talked about fighting Pacquiao and how he would hit him with punches," Valero said in his home in Venezuela. Days after his shocking death, Bob Arum, whose Top Rank outfit owns the promotional rights on Valero, said his supposed plan is to pit the two all-action fighters if not this year, perhaps in 2011. "I was grooming him (Valero) as Manny Pacquiao’s future opponent. That would have been a sensational fight," said the veteran boxing promoter. A former World Boxing Association (WBA) super-featherweight titleholder and World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight king, the 28-year old Venezuelan first became a household name when he won his first 18 fights via first round knockouts – a record that has since been broken by American middleweight Tyrone Brunson. Valero was so excited about a megabout against the the 32-year old Pacquiao that he even went up in weight just to make the bout possible. The knockout artist even signed up with Top Rank in the belief that Arum would eventually give him a shot against the outfit’s no. 1 fighter.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV "He would tell me that he knew exactly how to catch Pacquiao with his punches. He would show me the movements of how he would step back and around and throw the punches," Edward recalled. "He thought the fight would happen this November. It meant a lot to him." Filipino boxing analyst Atty. Ed Tolentino said the Pacquiao-Valero fight, if it pushed through, would have been a slugfest since both boxers are known for their punching power. "It would have been a hell of a slugfest, considering the power the two fighters have." Tolentino even predicted that Pacquiao would have won the fight. "Valero offers a porous defense and I believe Pacquiao would have walloped him within five rounds. Pacquiao is way faster, more fluid with his movements compared to the slow and pondering Valero." But addictions to drugs and alcohol caused Valero to lose control of his life. "Valero was a walking time bomb. He had long been suspected of using drugs and being an alcoholic. It is unfortunate that he never controlled the rage he showed inside the ring," said Tolentino. Edward even said that his brother had several incidents of hallucinations and paranoia, which eventually led him to kill his wife Jennifer Carolina in a hotel before taking his own life hours after his arrest by hanging himself inside his cell. Toxicology test results released upon his death showed heavy traces of cocaine in the boxing star’s system. An investigation also revealed that a photo of his family was found in the boxer’s mouth when an autopsy was conducted. Valero last fought in February, scoring a 9th round technical decision over Antonio DeMarco in Mexico to retain his WBC lightweight belt. He ended his career with a perfect 27-0 record, all by way of knockout. – GMANews.TV