Edwin Valero (26-0, 26 KOs), THE RING's No.1-rated lightweight, defended his 135-pound title and kept his KO streak alive with sixth-round stoppage of veteran Hector Velazquez (51-14-2, 35 KOs) in La Guaira, Caracas, Venezuela on Saturday. Velazquez, a 34-year-old former featherweight and junior lightweight contender who was stopped in the sixth round by Manny Pacquiao in 2003, did not come out for the seventh round. Valero, who hasn't fought since winning his lightweight belt with a second-round TKO of Antonio Pitalua in April, suffered a cut on the bridge of the nose. Valero's fight with Pitalua was in Austin, Texas but he has not been unable to fight in the U.S. since because of visa trouble. However, he is scheduled to defend against his mandatory challenger Antonio DeMarco in Mexico on Feb. 6 in a bout that will be televised in the U.S. by Showtime.
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