Edwin Valero and family deny assault allegations; Jorge Barrios at it again

On September 27, it was reported that lightweight titleholder and knockout artist Edwin Valero had been arrested in his native Venezuela on charges of domestic abuse against his mother and sister. The Valero family has released a statement denying the allegations.

From Edwin himself:

"I've never hit my sister, let alone my mother. I have accepted my mistakes [in the past] but I have not committed anything wrong here."

From his mother:

"I do not know why the information is being handled like this. No one called me to inquire whether it was true, or came to my house. Everyone knows where I live and nobody came to see. Nor did a forensic examination take place on me or my daughter. Neither of us were assaulted or beaten, or pushed, or anything by Edwin. There was never any aggression, there was no abuse or anything."

The family is looking to hold a press conference.

Valero also just opened training camp on Tuesday, preparing for a possible December 12 fight in Venezuela. We'll see how this all shakes out and if it's going to affect his career in a major way.

Jorge Barrios couldn't resist the urge to chime in. The notoriously nasty trash talker from Argentina called Valero "a long-haired prostitute and a communist" earlier this year, and BoxingScene.com's Rick Reeno reported this latest gem:

"I've always told you Valero's own mother would not buy a ticket to see him fight. Now you know why. Valero is a f****t and a prostitute. He is a communist and now even worse, he also beats his own mother. If Valero has the balls to put down his liquor bottle for one minute and sign a contract, I will show him that I’m a lot tougher than some defenseless old lady."

Well...how do you comment on that? He might be a bit out of line (a bit?!), but he usually is.

Barrios is scheduled to return to the ring on November 21, possibly against Michael Lozada.