Stronger, wiser Viloria fights at Blaisdell tonight

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

It's hard to imagine a flyweight "growing every day," but that's exactly what Waipahu boxer Brian Viloria has done in the past year.

Waipahu's Brian Viloria will fight tonight in his first Hawai'i match since his pro debut a year ago. Since then, he has gone 6-0 with four knockouts, recovered from a broken bone in his right hand and fought in such cities as San Francisco, Philadelphia and New York. Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser

Tonight, Viloria returns to fight in Hawai'i for the first time since then. He will face Sandro Oviedo of Argentina in a flyweight (113 pounds) bout scheduled for eight rounds. Preliminaries will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Blaisdell Center Arena.

"I might look the same, and I kind of feel the same, but I know I'm a lot stronger," Viloria said. "I've learned so much just in this one year. I feel like I'm a lot more experienced and a lot more mature."

Viloria, 21, has already overcome adversity in his rookie year. He broke a bone in his right hand against Escobia, causing him to miss two months of training.

The injury has since healed, and he has a 6-0 record with four knockout victories to prove it.

"He's growing every day," said his trainer, Freddie Roach. "It might be hard for people to judge his progress because he's been so good since day one. But he's really improved a lot as a fighter."

In particular, Viloria has had to adjust from the amateur ranks to the professional.

"Basically, I've relearned the whole game," said Viloria, a former world amateur champion and a member of the 2000 United States Olympic team.

As Roach put it: "The stuff Brian is doing in the (practice) gym is so much more advanced than a year ago. With every fight, he's bringing in something different, something new."

Tonight may be his toughest test to date.

Oviedo is 22-17-2, and has twice fought for world championships. What's more, it will be Viloria's first scheduled eight-round fight. None of his previous six bouts were scheduled beyond six rounds.

"He's gone as many as 10 rounds in the (practice) gym, so he's capable of handling eight, no problem," Roach said.

Viloria has also matured outside of the ring.

•	• WHAT: Professional boxing. • WHO: Brian Viloria (6-0) vs. Sandro Oviedo (22-17-2), eight rounds. Undercard includes Hawai'i boxers Eric Alexander and Teddy Limoz Jr. • WHEN/WHERE: 7:30 tonight at Blaisdell Arena. • TICKETS: $75, $50 and $25. • Parking: $3.

"I guess I got used to all the distractions since the Olympics," he said. "I know what it takes to concentrate on a fight."

As proof, Viloria stayed in his own Waikiki hotel room this week. His family, which still lives in Waipahu, came to visit, but only briefly.

"They know not to crowd me right now, and I know that I have to be on my own to focus on this fight," said Viloria, a 1998 Waipahu High graduate.

Roach and Viloria expect an active bout tonight.

Based on recent video of Oviedo, Roach said Viloria will have to "work on body shots and defend."

"The one thing Brian needs to work on most right now is defense," Roach said. "(Oviedo) will come right at him, so he has to be ready. Our plan is to stay right there with him and attack his body and break him down."

Viloria, who is also fighting in a main event for the first time in his career (fellow Hawai'i boxer Jesus Salud fought in the main event last year), is confident.

"I feel better than I did last year," Viloria said. "Last year, I was a little nervous because I didn't know what to expect. This time, I know what I'm capable of, and I feel like I've prepared properly and did everything I'm supposed to do to win this fight."

• Undercard: In what is expected to be an exciting co-main event, Lovemore Ndou of South Africa will take on Jun Gorres of the Philippines in a junior welterweight bout scheduled for 10 rounds.

Ndou (30-4, 22 knockouts) and Gorres (25-2-1, 22 knockouts) have 44 knockout victories between them.

Viloria's Olympic teammate, Jose Navarro, will also appear on the undercard. He is scheduled to face Julio Cesar Oyuela in a junior bantamweight bout scheduled for eight rounds.

Oyuela, however, nearly was disqualified yesterday when he initially weighed in 1 1/2 pounds over the 115 limit.

After a grueling two-hour workout — witnessed by Navarro's trainer — Oyuela made the weight.

Oyuela is the same boxer who came in overweight for a scheduled bout with Viloria in Cincinnati, Ohio, earlier this year. That bout was canceled.

In another undercard development yesterday, Roger Flores of Nicaragua did not arrive in Hawai'i, and was thus scratched from his scheduled bout with Hawai'i's Teddy Limoz Jr.

Instead, Limoz will fight another Hawai'i boxer, Jerry Saribay, in a four-round exhibition.

Eric Alexander of Kaka'ako Gym will also appear on the undercard against Jerry Balagbagan of the Philippines in a six-round junior middleweight bout.

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