Is Valero the new Duran?

I recently finished reading Christian Giudice's excellent biography of Panamanian legend Roberto Duran: Hands of Stone The Life and Legend of Roberto Duran.
Duran, in case you didn't know, was the all-action lightweight champion of the world in the 1970s who moved up the weights to fight a serious of epic battles against modern greats like Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler and Tommy Hearns.
His story is well worth reading, even for non-boxing fans, and Duran comes across as a larger-than-life character whose rise from poverty to the dizzy heights of Vegas and beyond is the stuff of boxing legend.
Unfortunately, Duran was generous to a fault, and gave away or spent the millions he made from boxing. He fought on well past his prime and finally retired after a car crash in 2001 at the age of 50 having won an astonishing 103 professional fights.
By that time thoughts had already turned to who would be his natural successor. In some ways, the most obvious comparison stylistically is with Manny Pacquiao. The Filipino's journey up the weight divisions from Fly- to Welterweight whilst retaining his phenomenal punching power has echoes of Duran's story. But another man in the frame is the current lightweight champion, Edwin Valero.
Like Duran, Valero spent the early part of his career smashing his way through domestic opposition of sometimes variable quality. After 27 fights the Venezuelan has an enviable 100 per cent knock-out record and recently retained his WBC title with a ninth round stoppage over number one contender Antonio DeMarco (despite receiving a huge gash across his forehead in the second after DeMarco accidentally elbowed him).
The comparisons between the two Latin fighters don't end there. Both men had absent fathers from a young age: Valero's old man left when he was seven, Duran's father - a Mexican-American soldier - left when he was even younger. Both men are national heroes in their home countries and while Valero is wrapped in the paternal embrace of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, Duran was exploited by his country's own military strong men. Finally, both are known for their exuberant, some might even say, reckless personalities and no-holds-barred fighting styles.
However, in the cold light of day, I don't see Valero becoming another Duran, although I believe he has some great qualities and a lot left to achieve in the sport. At this stage of their respective careers, Duran had won his first 27 fights by the age of 20, while it's taken Valero, 28, eight years longer to reach 27-0. On the flip side, Duran picked up the lightweight crown in his 29th fight against Scotland's Ken Buchanan, while Valero has already made two successful title defences.
Duran, known as Manos de Piedra to his many fans, had a reputation as a bit of a wild man, able to throw bombs with both hands but people sometimes forget he also possessed superb defensive skills. Valero certainly has heavy hands - although it's debatable whether he could knock out a horse as Duran is reputed to have done - but at times his defensive skills are lacking and the suspicion remains he could be found wanting against a high-quality opponent. Whatever happens, he's one to watch out for because, like Duran, his career will never be boring.