Читать книгу Berserk. The Shocking Life and Death of Edwin Valero онлайн

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From the moment Valero entered the Maywood Boxing Gym in Los Angeles, Hernandez saw immediately that someone new and unusual had arrived.

He had high cheekbones and piercing eyes. He looked regal, carrying himself like he'd already been a champion for years. The only thing that ruined the picture was an explosion of acne that covered much of his face, as if teen hormones still percolated inside him. Valero was fighting at super-featherweight, but his frame could easily carry another ten or fifteen pounds. He was raw, high spirited, with extraordinary power and speed. Hernandez tended to time rounds at four and a half minutes, and Valero would punch nonstop. Sometimes he seemed unpolished. Sometimes he looked like a veteran who knew every move in the book.

Hernandez noticed the effect Valero had on sparring partners: No one could last two rounds with him. Hernandez paid fighters extra to work with Valero, but they wouldn't do it. Mike Anchondo, a future titleholder and a Maywood gym regular, asked Hernandez, “What do you feed this guy? Nails?”