In one famous photo, taken at his last fight in February 2010, blood runs down his tattooed chest from a cut opened over his right eye by Mexico’s Antonio DeMarco – who would go on to lose their lightweight title bout.īeneath the streams of blood, Valero’s enormous tattoo stands out. Ringside photos immortalize his raw aggression as he pummeled his opponents into oblivion, the devastating punches from his muscle-corded arms sending sprays of sweat flying off one head after another. He won both the WBA super featherweight and the WBC lightweight titles during his career. Valero, a southpaw, was known for his attacking style and extremely powerful punches. “A judge should not have the authority to decide what movies we can watch.” There is evidence of a political element in the banning of this film,” said Castillo Cottin’s lawyer, Oswaldo Cali.Ĭastillo Cottin, the son of a famous opposition journalist, Leopoldo Castillo, denounced the ruling as censorship. “In Venezuela, the courts are not independent. The country is today governed by Chavez’s hand-picked successor, Nicolas Maduro, whom opponents accuse of ruling with an increasingly authoritarian grip amid a devastating economic crisis that has sparked riots, looting and calls for his ouster. “El Inca,” who won 27 fights across his career – all but one by knockout – was a fervent supporter of late president Hugo Chavez, the leftist firebrand who led Venezuela from 1999 until his death in 2013. The court case was brought by Valero’s family, which accused director Ignacio Castillo Cottin of slander.īut the director alleges politics had more to do with the ruling. The movie, “El Inca,” was a box office sensation when it premiered on November 25, rising to become the third-most lucrative film of the year in Venezuela in less than 3 weeks.īut its run came to an abrupt halt on December 13, when a judge ordered it removed from theaters and impounded all copies. Now, his violent and troubling story is making headlines and causing controversy all over again, in a politically charged scandal over a banned film about his life. Two days later, he took his own life in his prison cell at 28 years old. CARACAS, Venezuela – On an April morning in 2010, Venezuelan boxing legend Edwin “El Inca” Valero, an undefeated two-time world champion, murdered his wife.
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