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

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In de Leon, Valero met his equal. De Leon was known to rip off his shirt in a bar and challenge a rival to fight bare-knuckle. “The story I heard was that de Leon bit off a piece of Valero's ear,” Fischer said. “That's why Valero started growing his hair out.”

Valero's main beef with Anchondo and de Leon was rooted in envy. They had main-event status on local shows, and received monthly stipends. In Valero's eyes, Anchondo and de Leon were inferior. The truth was that Valero wasn't well connected. Anchondo had been a pro for three years, and de Leon had been on the Mexican Olympic team in 2000. Valero, conversely, had been fighting in Venezuelan backwaters. “He was a gamble,” said Fischer. Joe Hernandez was acting as Valero's manager and trainer. Oscar De La Hoya's father Joel was a silent partner. There wasn't much careful planning involved with Valero. “It was more like, ‘Let's take a gamble on this guy.’”

Sometimes Valero's wrath was directed at Hernandez. “They split every month,” said Fischer. “Little things would set Valero off. For instance, Joe was very old school, and when the guys appeared in public at a boxing event, Joe wanted them to dress up. Valero thought he was being disrespected. He'd say, ‘Fuck it. I'll train myself.’ But Valero liked Joe, and he'd come back.”