The subtitle for ‘Berserk’ by Don Stradley is ‘The Shocking Life and Death of Edwin Valero’, which is one of the most succinct and apt taglines for a book that I’ve come across.
Even within the confines of boxing, which is full of wild stories, Valero’s is truly shocking. This is mainly a tale of how aggressive and violent personality traits can be encouraged and exacerbated by an industry which rewards these behaviours, and can overrun and ruin the lives of the boxers and those around them.
After reading this book I spent some time watching Valero’s bouts on YouTube, and as ferocious and impressive he was as a fighter, none of that could make up for how foul he was as a person.
As an aside, the publisher of this book, Hamilcar Noir, is building a very interesting catalogue of books about and around boxing.
Writers on Boxing 
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