Posted on: Tuesday, June 19, 2001

Viloria to be interviewed today on ESPN2

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

Even with a broken hand, Waipahu's Brian Viloria can be a presence on a boxing card.

That's basically what ESPN officials are saying by inviting Viloria for a live interview on tonight's edition of "Tuesday Night Fights."

Viloria will be interviewed at ringside sometime between bouts of the card, which will be held at Del Mar, Calif. It can be seen live in Hawai'i on ESPN2 at 3 p.m.

Viloria was originally scheduled to appear on the card for the second professional fight of his career, but a broken bone in his right hand was discovered a week after his debut victory over Ben Jun Escobia at the Hawai'i Convention Center on May 15.

"The guys at ESPN have indicated to us that Brian's first fight was a big success and they've expressed an interest in having him appear frequently on ESPN," said Viloria's manager Gary Gittelsohn. "The fact that they want him there even though he's not boxing is an indication of that."

Also today, Viloria is expected to see Dr. David Kulber in Los Angeles to have a hard cast removed from his right hand. His hand will still need to be placed in a removable soft cast, but he should be able to resume training this week.

"I can't wait to get it off," Viloria said. "It's been sort of a vacation for me the last couple of weeks. I need to get back in training; at least do some road work and get back in shape."

Gittelsohn said Viloria will not be able to punch with his right hand until mid-August. Because of that, Viloria is not expected to fight again until early September.

"We had Aug. 24 as a date for him to come back and fight, but that might be early," Gittelsohn said. "We'll side with safety and make sure he's 100 percent ready."

Viloria will not be the only Hawai'i presence on today's card.

Dustin Kim, a former Waipahu resident who now trains in Las Vegas, is scheduled to fight Fred Neal of California in a lightweight bout. Kim is 17-1; Neal is 16-1.

However, because it is an undercard bout, there is no guarantee it will be televised during the two-hour time slot.