Viloria's triumph turns into tragedy
By Dan Arritt
Special to The Advertiser
LOS ANGELES — Brian Viloria of Waipahu got the victory he wanted, but it came with tragic circumstances.
Chris Carlson • Associated Press
Fighting on the undercard of the Julio Caesar Chavez-Ivan Robinson main event yesterday, Viloria stopped Ruben Contreras of Mexico with a sixth-round TKO to remain unbeaten heading into the biggest fight of his pro career, a July 30 title match in Las Vegas against World Boxing Council light flyweight champion Eric Ortiz.
Brian Viloria, right, stuns Ruben Contreras, who was in stable condition following surgery to relieve pressure from bleeding on his brain.
Contreras suffered a seizure shortly after he quit during the bout and was taken to California Hospital Medical Center, where he underwent surgery last night to relieve pressure from bleeding on his brain, ringside physician Dr. Paul Wallace said.
Late last night, hospital spokeswoman Katreena Sagado said Contreras "is in stable condition and will be evaluated in 72 hours, but they (the doctors) are encouraged."
There were no knockdowns, but the 32-year-old Contreras was bleeding from the nose and mouth. "Nothing significant happened in that fight, nothing you would think would cause an injury like that," Wallace said.
After a listless first half of the scheduled eight-round bout, Viloria (17-0, 11 KOs) caught Contreras (9-17-3, 4 KOs) with consecutive right-hand uppercuts in the fifth round.
Early in the sixth, Viloria again stung his opponent, causing Contreras to turn his back on Viloria and lift his arms in the air, as if he were struggling to breathe.
Contreras was taken to his corner by referee David Mendoza, where the fight was stopped by Wallace, who spotted blood inside Contreras' mouth.
"I caught him with three good uppercuts in the fifth round and he kept checking his nose after that," Viloria, 24, said. "I think I broke his nose and he couldn't breathe through it. In the sixth round, I caught him some more and then he gave up."
Chris Carlson • Associated Press
While being treated in his corner, Contreras began complaining of a headache, according to Wallace. After exiting through the ropes, Contreras told his trainer, Luis Anaya, "I feel like I'm going to pass out."
Brian Viloria celebrates as Ruben Contreras is tended to in his corner after being TKO'd in the sixth.
Contreras then suffered the seizure.
The journeyman boxer took the fight on only three days' notice when the previously scheduled opponent for Viloria was forced to drop out.
Onlookers weren't overly impressed with Viloria's performance, but Viloria said he needed to work off the ring rust that developed since his last bout in December, when he fought Angel Priolo on three days' notice and scored a seventh-round knockout.
That victory opened the door for his first title bout in July.
"I really wanted to come out here and get some work done, get some rounds in and work some rust off since my last fight," Viloria said.
Viloria recently signed with Top Rank Inc., which should keep him more active.
"It will allow me to, at least, be a little more busier, get in six fights a year," said Viloria, who plans to continue training in Los Angeles.
"Fighting once every six months doesn't really help you out."
Chavez and son win
Julio Cesar Chavez took an unanimous 10-round decision over Ivan Robinson last night in a bout billed as Chavez's "Adios" to Los Angeles.
Chris Carlson • Associated Press
Before the 42-year-old Chavez's bout went the distance, son Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. needed only 42 seconds to run his record to 19-0.
Referee David Mendoza signals timeout as Ruben Contreras slumps against the ropes in the sixth round. The fight was stopped soon after.
The lanky 19-year-old staggered Adam Wynant with a left hook soon after the opening bell of their scheduled six-round lightweight bout, landed another looping left a few seconds later, then connected with several quick combinations.
The dazed Wynant staggered across the ring and fell, and referee Jack Reiss stopped it.
The elder Chavez, fighting for the 114th time and winding down his storied career, ran his record to 107-5-2, with 88 knockouts.
Chavez dominated the bout from start to finish, rocking Robinson several times but never putting him down.
Robinson, 34, is 32-10-2.
In a title bout on the card, IBF bantamweight champ Rafael Marquez successfully defended his title with a unanimous 12-round decision over Ricardo Vargas.
Dan Arritt is a sports writer for the Los Angeles Times. Steve Springer of the Los Angeles Times and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
