Viloria's next fight in Atlantic City
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
Brian Viloria's next boxing match will be in Atlantic City, N.J., before what is expected to be the largest audience to watch him fight as a professional.
Viloria, the undefeated flyweight from Waipahu, will appear on the undercard of an HBO show on Nov. 23 at The Boardwalk Hall.
"This will be a very high-profile event for Brian," said his manager, Gary Gittelsohn. "There will be a big audience there and the main event will be a big fight."
The main event will feature junior lightweights Mickey Ward and Arturo Gatti. Ward beat Gatti by majority decision in May in what some boxing experts described as the fight of the year.
Gittelsohn said the card is expected to draw around 15,000 fans. Even more are expected to watch on HBO, but Gittelsohn said Viloria's fight will probably be televised only on the international feed of the card, and not the American feed.
Viloria, the North American Boxing Federation (NABF) flyweight champion, is 9-0 with six knockouts. His opponent has yet to be finalized, although Gittelsohn said he has made offers to two boxers.
According to Gittelsohn, the first choice is Alberto Rossel of Peru.
Rossel is the same boxer who fought Viloria in July, and suffered a gash to his head after an accidental head butt. That bout was declared a no contest.
"We'd like to give Rossel a chance to finish what was started in that fight," Gittelsohn said.
Rossel is 11-4 with six knockouts. He has fought twice since the no-contest bout with Viloria, winning one and losing one.
If Rossel does not accept the rematch, Gittelsohn said Alejandro Moreno of Mexico will be offered a chance to fight Viloria. Moreno is 19-10-1 with 10 knockouts.
Regardless of the opponent, Gittelsohn said the bout will be scheduled for 10 rounds.
Viloria's last fight was on Aug. 30, when he earned a 12-round unanimous decision over Javier Lagos for the NABF title. Viloria also holds the WBC Youth Championship, for fighters under the age of 23.
"It's been a while since his last fight, but we wanted to give Brian a chance to recharge his batteries, so to speak," Gittelsohn said. "That time off was good for him, but I think everybody's excited to get him back in the ring."
