Visa troubles keep Edwin Valero from Vegas fight

Dave Skretta, AP Sports Writer

Friday, Sept. 18, 2009 | 3:30 a.m.

Associated Press

WBA super featherweight champion Edwin Valero of Venezuela poses after retaining his title against challenger Takehiro Shimada of Japan in Tokyo in June 2008.

NEW YORK — Outspoken lightweight champion Edwin Valero accused the U.S. government of discrimination Friday, and said he’ll be unable to defend his title in November because his visa was not renewed in time.

Valero had never officially been added to the undercard of Manny Pacquiao’s highly anticipated pay-per-view bout against Miguel Cotto, but Top Rank promoter Bob Arum had hoped that Valero would be able to defend his WBC belt against junior lightweight champion Humberto Soto on Nov. 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The 27-year-old Valero, who was born in Venezuela, said he completed all the required paperwork for the visa. Valero suggested that the application had been refused because of his sympathy for Venezuela President Hugo Chavez—a fierce critic of U.S. policy in the region.

“I’ve been the subject of an act of discrimination, as well as my wife and my children, one of which was born in the United States,” Valero said in a statement from Caracas, Venezuela.

Valero (25-0, 20 KOs) said he’s now planning to organize a fight for Dec. 12 in Caracas, which would be backed by private businesses and Chavez’s government.

“We all have our ideology, and we hope that they respect us,” said Valero, who has Chavez’s image tattooed on his chest. “I’m not a politician, I’m an athlete.”

Top Rank spokesman Lee Samuels said he was aware that Valero had a visa problem and might be unable to fight. The only bout that has been announced for the Pacquiao-Cotto undercard is WBA junior middleweight champion Daniel Santos defending his title against Yuri Foreman.

“We’ll have two more fights to announce, maybe next week,” Samuels said.

Top Rank had worked hard to get Valero a license to fight in Nevada, which until recently had a law that made it illegal to license anyone who has suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage. Valero experienced bleeding on the brain after a motorcycle accident in 2001.

Valero turned professional in 2002 and fought without any problems until he failed a prefight MRI two years later in New York. He was placed on indefinite suspension and wound up fighting mainly in Japan and Latin America, where he won a junior lightweight title in 2006.

He received a license to fight in Texas last year, and knocked out Antonio Pitalua in the second round to claim the vacant WBC lightweight belt.