Viloria's foe has edge in experience
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
Don't judge Sandro Oviedo by his record.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
Or his appearance.
Sandro Oviedo, left, will be in his 42nd bout Friday while Waipahu Olympian Brian Viloria will be in his seventh.
Oviedo will bring a 22-17-2 record to the Blaisdell Arena Friday night when he assumes the role of bad guy against hometown favorite Brian Viloria in a scheduled eight-round flyweight boxing match.
"Here's a guy coming in with nothing to lose," Viloria's manager, Gary Gittelsohn, said of Oviedo. "And his record is deceiving because he's had a lot of big fights."
Yesterday, you could hardly tell.
At a press conference promoting the six-bout card, Oviedo appeared in a cheesy aloha shirt and surf trunks. He also brought a disposable camera and was not ashamed to pose with the other fighters for pictures.
"This is my first time to Hawai'i, so I want to enjoy it," Oviedo said through an interpreter. "But I'm taking this fight serious."
Hawai'i is the latest stop in what appears to be a journeyman career for Oviedo, who is from Mendoza, Argentina. He is 35, and has been boxing professionally for 15 years.
In contrast, Viloria is 21 with a 6-0 record after one year as a pro.
"I don't want to get in there and act like I'm going to run over this guy," said Viloria, a 1998 Waipahu High graduate. "I know this guy is going to be tough."
As proof, Oviedo has twice fought for world championships, and was once the Argentinian light-flyweight champion.
"And that says a lot because that country has produced a lot of quality boxers," Gittelsohn said.
What's more, Oviedo is no stranger to "name" opponents like Viloria. His last fight came in March, when he lost to Clarence Vinson on a five-round technical knockout. Vinson and Viloria were teammates on the 2000 United States Olympic team.
"I feel like I have more punching power than Clarence, and Clarence knocked him out," Viloria said. "But I don't expect it to be the same kind of fight."
That's because Oviedo moved up one weight class to fight Vinson at 119 pounds. Friday's bout against Viloria will be at 112.
"This weight is better for me," Oviedo said. "It was a mistake to move up. I feel stronger at this weight."
While Oviedo has lost the extra weight, he has not lost any confidence. When asked what concerned him most about Viloria, he replied simply: "Nothing."
If anything, Oviedo has the advantage in ring experience.
Viloria will be fighting a scheduled eight-rounder for the first time in his career. His previous long was six rounds.
Oviedo, meanwhile, has been fighting eight-rounders since 1990, and has gone as long as 12 rounds several times.
But based on recent videos of Oviedo, Viloria expects Friday's bout to be a slugfest, although he refused to make any specific predictions.
"He comes in and stays, so he's easy to hit," Viloria said. "But he throws wide combinations, and when he gets in trouble, he throws some wild shots. That makes him dangerous."
Oviedo said he does not expect to be affected by the pro-Viloria crowd, or the distractions of Hawai'i.
"For me, it's no problem," he said. "I've been to many different places to fight. This is just another."
For his part, Viloria is not worried, either.
"He's actually perfect for my style," Viloria said. "If I execute the way I've been training, I'll be OK."
