Book Review: Berserk: The Shocking Life and Death of Edwin Valero
“There’s no telling what went on during the next few hours, or where his paranoia took him, but in that room something terrible happened. At 5:30 a.m. Valero appeared in the lobby. As calmly as one might order something from room service, he told the staff that he had just killed his wife.”
Don Stradley has carefully, thoughtfully and without lecturing, told the story of the unbeaten fearsome Venezuelan two-weight world champion Edwin Valero.
The author gives us the facts and the conspiracy stories in equal measure and leaves us to decide if Valero deserves any sympathy whatsoever and if he is indeed guilty of a terrible crime.
Valero could have been a superstar in the sport. A much craved fight with Manny Pacquiao failed to materialise for varying reasons, and his ring skills were never really tested to a level where we could be certain just how good he was.
The dark side of Valero is relayed in full by the author, and at times it is most certainly an uncomfortable read. But Stradley doesn’t try to make excuses to justify that side of Valero, how you perceive him is left to the reader.
The story of Valero is an all too familiar tale, drink and substance abuse to excess, behaviours not corrected or properly punished and two lives almost certainly ended as a result of these failures. The tragedy that concludes the book could and should have been avoided.
The book runs for 75 pages, it might seem on the short side to some, but it’s the perfect length for me. It does what’s it’s supposed to do, it serves it’s purpose.
The question you may ask is, should I purchase the book myself, I would have great difficulty finding reasons not to.
Berserk: The Shocking Life and Death of Edwin Valero is out now and retails at £7.99
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