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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, September 10, 2005

Viloria hopes to feast on champion Ortiz

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

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After three months on a strict diet, Waipahu boxer Brian Viloria finally got to splurge yesterday.

Viloria ate home-cooked Filipino food moments after making the 108-pound weight limit yesterday for his world championship bout.

Viloria will face Mexico's Eric Ortiz today at the Staples Center in Los Angeles for Ortiz's World Boxing Council light flyweight championship. Both fighters weighed 108 pounds at yesterday's official weigh-in.

"I'll be honest, I was a little concerned about Brian making this weight," said his manager, Gary Gittelsohn. "For a guy his size, losing four pounds is a significant amount."

Viloria is 17-0 with 11 knockouts as a professional. All 17 of his previous bouts were at 112 pounds.

"Right after he made weight, he went straight to the parking lot and his mother had an ice chest full of food ready for him," Gittelsohn said. "They had their own little tailgate with the family right there."

Viloria said: "I knew I could get down to 108 because I had a couple months to do it. I've been doing some extra running and just watching my diet. It wasn't that hard."

Ortiz is 24-4-1 with 16 knockouts, and today will be his first title defense. It will also be his first fight outside of Mexico.

"The buzz around here is that this is going to be the fight of the night," Gittelsohn said.

The bout is scheduled for 12 rounds, and Viloria said he expects it to be action-packed.

"Ortiz always tries to wear you down," Viloria said. "His style is to keep coming at you, so I have to be ready for that. I like to put the pressure on my opponents, too, so it should be an exciting fight."

Gittelsohn said Viloria will enter the ring to the theme of "Hawaii Five-O." He is also hoping to have the American, Filipino and Hawaiian flags precede Viloria's entrance.

Portions of tonight's card will be televised live on HBO, but Viloria's bout is not expected to air.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.