Is Bradley Next for Venezuelan Sensation Valero?

Last Saturday Edwin Valero was finally able to reach a large American audience, thanks to the Showtime broadcast of the WBC Lightweight Championship fight in which he faced Mexican youngster Antonio de Marco.

By now you probably know that "el Inca" Valero overcame adversity in what turned out to be the toughest test of his career so far. A major gash on the Venezuelan's forehead, caused by de Marco's elbow in round two, threatened to bring an early end to the fight.

But Edwin was determined to not let anything ruin his coming out party.

His performance exceeded the expectations of pretty much everyone, maybe even Valero's own. In his in-ring post-fight interview, as blood finally stopped pouring out of his nasty cut, Valero confessed with no hesitation that this was his best performance to date.

Compubox numbers serve as evidence to his assertion. He exceeded by one-third the average number of punches thrown in lightweight bouts, and managed to connect almost one out of every three thrown. This means that, on average, he threw over 93 punches and connected about 30 per round.

Those looking for yet more evidence of his dominance need do no more than look up YouTube clips of the fight, specifically those that show Antonio de Marco in his corner between rounds eight and nine, and nine and 10. They will show a fighter beaten, demoralized, and barely able to stand up on his own.

However, after all is said and done, the most pressing question that such a performance leaves on every member of the audience is: what next?

Fortunately, there are already some signs as to what the answer may turn out to be.

Top Rank boss Bob Arum, Valero's promoter, has hinted that a move up may be in order for the South American slugger. And given that Valero's goal and dream for some time now has been to face pound-for-pound No. 1 Manny Pacquiao, this move should hardly come as a surprise.

WBO Junior Welterweight Champion Timothy Bradley is the fighter being considered to become Edwin's next opponent. This would, of course, imply Edwin would jump to the 140 pounds weight class, which would leave him only seven pounds away from the welterweight class, in which the biggest names in boxing currently reside.

And so it looks as if Valero's long and winding road towards boxing riches and fame is finally clearing up big time. It doesn't mean Valero has it easy from now on—on the contrary, the toughest fights of his career are still in the future.

However, at least now that he has officially arrived, he can concentrate on preparing and facing up to these new challenges, as opposed to worrying about how to get the big fights.

A Bradley-Valero fight is sure to bring some banging fireworks. Both fighters have offensive styles. Bradley is arguably a better boxer, but Valero's skills are not to be underestimated anymore. Bradley is more experienced, but Valero has the edge in power.

Of course, it remains to be seen how and if Valero is able to carry his devastating power into a higher weight class. But as his most recent fight showed, it is far from being his only asset.

In his last outing Valero showed boxing skills, good defense, mettle, composure, and will. He also stared down adversity, and dominated his opponent.

This fight allowed him to gain experience, test his limits, and push their boundaries outwards...all of which will come in handy as he reaches the final stages of the climb towards the uppermost echelons in boxing.

This is a time for boxing fans to rejoice and enjoy. The 140 and 147 pounds divisions are deep and full of big names. Some of them are the megastars, and some are megastars in the making. Some are proven warriors, and others are yet to be tested.

Finally, some have been around for a while, and will be gone before little more than a year from now, and yet others, like Valero, are just joining the party.

With men like Valero refreshing the always revolving ranks of boxing, the sport's future is not only safe, but bright.