Viloria's 1-2 punch KOs Oviedo in first

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

Brian Viloria celebrates after improving to 7-0 with a first-round knockout of Sandro Oviedo of Argentina. Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser

He didn't even need eight punches to knock out Sandro Oviedo of Argentina 38 seconds into the first round last night at the Blaisdell Center Arena.

Viloria improved to 7-0 with the fifth knockout of his career.

None of his previous victories was as stunning as this one.

"It was surprising to me," he said. "I was surprised he stayed down, actually."

Viloria's first punch of the fight — a left hook — came 22 seconds after the opening bell and stunned Oviedo. His second punch, a straight right, dropped Oviedo to the canvas.

"I just wanted to try and catch him," said Viloria, the Waipahu High graduate and 2000 Olympian. "I was just feeling him out. To catch him with a good punch like that, it shocked me too."

Oviedo got to his knees at the eight count, but then stumbled back to the canvas, sending the crowd of 3,180 into a thunderous ovation.

"The left hand stunned him and the right hand put him away," said Viloria, 21. "That's pretty much the story. Not much else to it."

The flyweight bout (113 pounds) was scheduled for eight rounds. Viloria had never gone longer than six rounds in his previous six fights.

Oviedo, who came in with 15 years of professional boxing experience, was supposed to provide Viloria's toughest competition to date. Instead, Oviedo dropped to 22-18-2, and said after the fight that he would probably retire.

"That's it for me," said Oviedo, 35.

Oviedo did not even land a punch in the bout.

"The first left caught me and I dropped my hands down," Oviedo said through an interpreter. "Then he surprised me with the right. It was a lucky punch, but it was a good punch. I felt it."

It was Viloria's second professional victory in Hawai'i. His professional debut was last May at the Hawai'i Convention Center.

"I was hoping to get a better workout," Viloria said. "But the knockout was there, so I'll take it."

After last night's bout, Viloria's manager Gary Gittelsohn, said Viloria is now expected to be ranked No. 9 by the North American Boxing Federation.

"It makes our job of match-making that much more difficult," Gittelsohn said. "Because every time we think Brian is ready for the next step, Brian shows he's really ready for five more steps."

Viloria is next scheduled to fight next month in Del Mar, Calif. An opponent has yet to be named, but Gittelsohn said he is hoping to scheduled a bout for the WBC Youth Championship (for boxers under age 23).

"I think that Brian is ready for some serious competition," Gittelsohn said. "This was some performance. That was the most perfect combination I've seen in a long time."

Undercard

• Lovemore Ndou from South Africa scored an impressive second round knockout of Jun Gorres from the Philippines in a junior welterweight (138 pounds) bout that served as the co-main event.

Ndou dropped Gorres with a left hook to the chin at 2:53 into the second round. Ndou improved to 31-4-1 with the 19th knockout of his career. Gorres dropped to 26-3-1.

• Jose Navarro of California remained undefeated with a eight-round unanimous decision over Julio Cesar Oyuela of Honduras in a junior bantamweight (115) bout.

Navarro (11-0), a teammate of Viloria on the 2000 United States Olympic team, knocked down Oyuela in the sixth round, and dominated the entire fight. Oyuela dropped to 7-5-2.

• Hawai'i's Eric Alexander made a successful return to the ring with a six-round majority decision over Gerry Balagbagan of the Philippines in a junior middleweight (148) bout.

Alexander, who trains at Kaka'ako Gym, was fighting for the first time since 1999. He won the fight on two of the three judges' cards. The third judge had it tied.

Alexander improved to 18-7, while Balagbagan dropped to 9-3.

• Urbano Antillon (5-0) of California remained undefeated with a sixth-round technical knockout of Carlos Cisnero (2-4-1) of El Salvador in a junior welterweight (138) bout.

• Kalihi fighters Teddy Limoz Jr. and Jerry Saribay staged a four-round welterweight (147) exhibition. The bout was not scored.

Limoz was originally scheduled to face Roger Flores of Nicaragua, but Flores never arrived in Hawai'i.