diff --git a/proto/tendermint/blocksync/message.go b/proto/tendermint/blocksync/message.go
index 1840c4e61..b099b225d 100644
--- a/proto/tendermint/blocksync/message.go
+++ b/proto/tendermint/blocksync/message.go
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 package blocksync
 
 import (
-	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 
 	"github.com/gogo/protobuf/proto"
@@ -60,48 +59,3 @@ func (m *Message) Unwrap() (proto.Message, error) {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unknown message: %T", msg)
 	}
 }
-
-// Validate validates the message returning an error upon failure.
-func (m *Message) Validate() error {
-	if m == nil {
-		return errors.New("message cannot be nil")
-	}
-
-	switch msg := m.Sum.(type) {
-	case *Message_BlockRequest:
-		if m.GetBlockRequest().Height < 0 {
-			return errors.New("negative Height")
-		}
-
-	case *Message_BlockResponse:
-		// validate basic is called later when converting from proto
-		return nil
-
-	case *Message_NoBlockResponse:
-		if m.GetNoBlockResponse().Height < 0 {
-			return errors.New("negative Height")
-		}
-
-	case *Message_StatusResponse:
-		if m.GetStatusResponse().Base < 0 {
-			return errors.New("negative Base")
-		}
-		if m.GetStatusResponse().Height < 0 {
-			return errors.New("negative Height")
-		}
-		if m.GetStatusResponse().Base > m.GetStatusResponse().Height {
-			return fmt.Errorf(
-				"base %v cannot be greater than height %v",
-				m.GetStatusResponse().Base, m.GetStatusResponse().Height,
-			)
-		}
-
-	case *Message_StatusRequest:
-		return nil
-
-	default:
-		return fmt.Errorf("unknown message type: %T", msg)
-	}
-
-	return nil
-}