Venezuela's Boxing Hero Stabs Wife to Death, Commits Suicide

Venezuela's boxing icon and former WBC lightweight champion Edwin Valero has reportedly committed suicide Monday after allegedly stabbing his wife to death Sunday morning.

At the time of his death, Valero was reported to be suffering from brain disorder due to a motorcycle accident that caused severe damage to his brain. Valerio was also reported to be suffering from alcohol and drug addiction.

The popular Venezuelan boxer was undefeated at the time of his death. He was a former WBC lightweight champion and WBA super featherweight division champion. Valero has fought 27 times during his professional boxing career. In all of his professional fights, he won all of them via knock out.

Early this year Valero vacated his WBC lightweight title to move up to the junior welterweight division and was scheduled to face Lamont Peterson this summer with the ultimate goal of challenging seven-division world champion Manny Pacquiao in the future.

Valero was a recent guest of Manny Pacquiao in the Philippines together with David Diaz whom Pacquiao defeated in their last fight. The former lightweight champion used his own clothes to hang himself in his cell early Monday, Venezuelan Federal Police Chief Wilmer Flores told reporters.

He said Valero tied his clothes to a cell bar to hang himself. He said Valero was found by another inmate, who alerted authorities in the police lockup in north-central Carabobo state. Valero still showed signs of life, but they were unable to save him, Flores said.

A day before Valero committed suicide, he reportedly stabbed and killed his own wife in a hotel room in Valencia, Venezuela's's largest city. Immediately after stabbing his wife three times he went down the hotel lobby and reported the crime to the hotel security.

Police then apprehended the boxer and was later locked up in jail where he took his life. Valero had two children with his wife Jennifer Carolina.

(original article appeared @ Digital Journal )