Posted on: Thursday, July 10, 2003
Viloria to have a bash at beach
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
Brian Viloria will be on the beach on July 22, but it won't be for a vacation.
Viloria's next boxing match is scheduled to take place at Pismo Beach, Calif., against a well-regarded opponent from Colombia.
Viloria, the undefeated flyweight from Waipahu, will defend his World Boxing Council (WBC) Youth Championship against Luis Doria in the main event of ESPN2's "Tuesday Night Fights." The card is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. (Hawai'i time). Viloria's bout, which is scheduled for 12 rounds, will likely start after 5 p.m.
"He's the perfect next step for Brian in that he's got a lot of experience and has faced some big-time opponents," Viloria's manager Gary Gittelsohn said of Doria. "This will be a big test for Brian, but it's that stage of his career where he needs to start facing big tests."
Viloria is 12-0 with seven knockouts. His last bout was an eighth-round technical knockout of Mexico's Valentin Leon on April 15 at the Waikiki Sheraton Hotel.
Doria is 17-8-2 with 10 knockouts and once owned the International Boxing Federation Latin American Light Flyweight championship. He has also fought for two world titles, although he lost both times.
Doria went 3-0 in 2002, but has not fought since earning a 10-round decision over Ronald Ramos last September.
Viloria, 22, will put his WBC Youth Championship on the line, but not his North American Boxing Federation (NABF) flyweight title. Doria is older than the maximum 23 to be eligible to hold the youth championship, so the title will be vacated if he wins.
However, with the title on the line, both fighters have a chance to move up the WBC rankings. Viloria is ranked No. 6 in the WBC world rankings. Doria is not ranked among the top 15.
According to Gittelsohn, the bout will take place in an outdoor ring "literally on the beach."
"It's an ESPN thing, where they wanted a scenic backdrop," he said. "Brian's fought in all types of places before, so it shouldn't be a problem."
