Valero enters Venezuela rehab center

CARACAS, Venezuela – WBC lightweight champion Edwin Valero has begun what could be the most important fight of his life: kicking drug and alcohol addiction.

Milda Mora, Valero’s lawyer, says the boxer entered a rehabilitation center in the Venezuelan city of Merida under orders from a local court following his arrest on charges of harassing his wife, threatening medical personnel who treated her and resisting arrest.

The 28-year-old Valero entered rehab Sunday and must attend a series of anger management courses after he leaves the center.

Mora told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Valero tested positive for drug and alcohol use at his arrest on Thursday. Mora did not provide details regarding Valero’s addiction problems, but she said he’s hyperactive and suffers from depression.

Police detained Valero following a heated argument he had with a doctor and nurse at a hospital in Merida, where his wife has been treated for a series of injuries, including a punctured lung and broken ribs.

Valero accused a police officer of pressuring his wife, Jennifer Carolina Viera, to tell authorities that her injuries were the result of domestic violence, Mora said. Viera has not publicly commented on the incident.

“There was a verbal argument, but no blows,” Mora said.

The boxer’s attorney rejected local newspaper reports suggesting Valero physically attacked his wife. Mora said Viera was injured when she fell down a flight of stairs at the couple’s home while checking a water tank located on the roof. (AP)