Viloria dominates with TKO victory
By Jill R. Dorson
Special to the Advertiser
SAN FRANCISCO — Brian Viloria broke his right hand in his professional boxing debut four months ago. The three pins that held that hand together were removed in July. He's been in the ring, but not for a live bout. No one knew what to expect yesterday.
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"You never quite know how prepared a fighter is to resume after a break in the hand," Viloria's manager Gary Gittelsohn said. "It was really important that he follow up his spectacular professional debut with something equally spectacular."
Waipahu's Brian Viloria, left, unleashes a left hand on his way to a fourth-round TKO victory over Kenny Berrios.
Viloria, a Waipahu resident, did just that in beating Kenny Berrios (6-12-1) by technical knockout in the fourth round of a nationally televised four-round 112-pound flyweight match at War Memorial Gymnasium on the University of San Francisco campus. Viloria, who dominated the match, finished off Berrios with a flurry of punches that included a left hook and right-hand combination.
"This fight was a big motivation for me," Viloria said. "To win away from my hometown, to show people who Brian Viloria is. It just showed my hard work."
Viloria had only a month of full training before yesterday's fight, which was televised on ESPN2. After surgery to repair his hand in May, Viloria continued to stay in shape, and soon after his cast and the pins were removed, he got back to work in the ring. The tiny scars between his right pinkie and wrist are the only reminders of the injury.
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Viloria, who said he was worried about his hand but felt fine, was not able to use his right hand — even in practice — until a month ago. The time away from competition was a chance to work on his mental preparedness and strategy, he said.
Viloria's bout last night was his first since suffering a broken right hand four months ago.
"I had a chance to mentally get in shape," he said. "It was more of a test for me."
After entering the ring to the strains of the "Hawai'i Five-0" theme song and waving two American flags, Viloria took control early. He wore Berrios down with body shots and plenty of rights to the head. At the end of the first round, Berrios' legs were buckling. In the second round, Berrios was often flailing to no avail at Viloria's midsection. In the third round, Berrios was hunched over and repeatedly took shots in the head from Viloria (2-0).
Despite Viloria's dominance, he and Gittelsohn considered Berrios — a replacement for Salvador Rosales, who pulled out of the fight due to family problems — a quality opponent.
Berrios recently went six rounds against U.S. Olympian Jose Navarro.
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The victory was enough for Gittelsohn to begin considering adding a bout to Viloria's schedule between now and a Nov. 23 benefit fight.
Viloria improved his professional record to 2-0.
"I want to make sure his hand is OK," Gittelsohn said. "I'm sure he said it is, but I want to make sure. But my initial thought is, yes."
Viloria, a favorite at the 2000 Olympic Games who was eliminated early by a controversial decision, has set his sights on a world championship.
Gittelsohn said Viloria has made such "rapid progress" that a fight for the world title could be as little as two years away. Viloria will likely have two four-round fights and two six-round fights before moving to eight rounds.
