Viloria hopes to take it to new level
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
 |
| Waipahu's Brian Viloria will fight Mexico's Valentin Leon in a 10-round flyweight fight at the Waikiki Sheraton Hotel.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser What: Professional boxing Who: Brian Viloria (11-0-0, 6 knockouts) vs. Valentin Leon (14-5-0, 6 KOs) in the main event of a seven-bout card. Preliminaries will feature a Hawai'i boxer in each bout. Where: Sheraton Waikiki Hotel Hawai'i Ballroom When: Tuesday, preliminaries start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $75 ringside; $50 reserved; $25 general admission. Available at Blaisdell Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations. |
For the third consecutive spring, Viloria will begin a new phase of his professional boxing career in his home state, Hawai'i.
This one could be his most important.
On Tuesday, Viloria will face Mexico's Valentin Leon in a 10-round flyweight (112 pounds) bout at the Waikiki Sheraton Hotel.
"This is the start of Brian's third year as a professional," said Gary Gittelsohn, Viloria's manager. "Based on the schedule we set up for him at the beginning, this is the year we expect him to start fighting contenders to put himself in position for a world championship fight."
Viloria, of Waipahu, is 11-0 as a professional, including two victories in Hawai'i. He currently holds the North American Boxing Federation (NABF) flyweight title, and is ranked No. 5 by the World Boxing Council (WBC), and No. 6 by the World Boxing Organization (WBO).
On May 15, 2001, he made his professional debut at the Hawai'i Convention Center with a four-round decision over Ben Jun Escobia. On May 17 of last year, Viloria scored a stunning 38-second knockout of Sandro Oviedo at the Blaisdell Center.
"I do seem to get more energy when I fight at home, so I wish I could fight more than once a year here," said Viloria, 22. "But the way my career is going, I take it one step at a time and fight anywhere they want me."
In between his Hawai'i bouts, Viloria has fought all over the United States, from San Francisco to New York.
"I call myself a professional traveler as much as a boxer," Viloria said.
It is all part of Gittelsohn's plan to build Viloria into a world champion.
"Those are years he can never get back," Gittelsohn said. "We wanted to make sure we did it right."
Apparently they did.
The proof is in the matchmaking. Gittelsohn said opponents have been reluctant to face Viloria anywhere, much less in Hawai'i.
"We will very soon start looking to go to Mexico and the Pacific Rim to find fights," Gittelsohn said.
It only makes Viloria appreciate his time at home even more, despite the distractions.
"It pushes me a lot harder to train for these fights (in Hawai'i)," he said. "It doesn't necessarily mean I don't train as hard for my other fights. But when I come home, my family and friends are here, and it just feels a lot more special."
