Viloria dominates latest bout in no contest ruling

Advertiser Staff

Waipahu's Brian Viloria (white and yellow trunks) was clearly in charge of the fight with Alberto Rossel when the head butt occurred, ending the fight in the third round. Charles P. Saus • Special to The Advertiser

Officially, Viloria's flyweight boxing match against Peru's Alberto Rossel was ruled a no contest yesterday after an accidental head butt in the third round opened a gash on Rossel's head.

Unfortunately for the Waipahu boxer, the head butt stopped a fight that he clearly dominated through the opening 2 1/2 rounds. Through the first two rounds, Viloria landed 45 punches to Rossel's 14.

The scheduled 10-round bout took place at the Mountaineer Race Track and Gaming Center in Chester, W. Va., and was televised nationally on ESPN2.

"It's a little disappointing because I felt like I was in control," Viloria said. "I felt like I was the stronger fighter, but there's nothing I can do about what happened."

Had a head butt occurred anytime after the third round, the bout would have been decided on the judges' cards.

"Another minute and I could have won," Viloria said. "But it was an accident. We both went in at the same time and our heads met. It happened so fast, I couldn't tell how bad it was, but I felt it. It was just one of those things that happens in boxing."

Viloria rocked Rossel several times in the opening two rounds with left hooks to the head. There were no knockdowns, but Rossel stumbled backwards in both the first and second rounds.

"I was just timing his punches," Viloria said. "Every time he came with his right, there was an opening."

Viloria's record remains at 8-0 with six knockouts. He is the WBC's youth world champion, and ranked No. 3 in the latest North American Boxing Federation flyweight ratings. Rossel, who was fighting for the first time since October because of visa problems in Peru, is 7-3.

Gary Gittelsohn, Viloria's manager, said he will try to line up an opponent for Viloria on an Aug. 17 HBO card at Atlantic City, N.J.

"Given the fact that Brian didn't get the kind of outcome he wanted, we're going to try and get him back in the ring as soon as possible," Gittelsohn said.

Viloria added: "I really want to get back in the ring. If you want to be a champion, you have no time to rest."