Posted at 4:16 p.m., Thursday, February 1, 2007
Viloria will get title shot after Nino stripped of crown
Associated Press
MEXICO CITY — The WBC declared the light flyweight champion belt up for grabs Thursday, stripping Mexico's Omar Nino of the title for testing positive for methamphetamine following a Nov. 18 bout in Las Vegas.Brian Viloria of Waipahu, currently ranked first in the weight class, will fight second-ranked Edgar Sosa of Mexico for the title, the WBC said.
The WBC said the winner will have to defend his title against the 30-year-old Nino.
''In light of the fact that the WBC believes that Nino did not voluntarily commit this infraction, and considering that his clean record has won him the trust of this organization ... we are declaring that Nino will be the challenger for whoever is the new champion,'' a WBC statement said.
Nevada boxing regulators suspended Nino in December after he became the first fighter to test positive for methamphetamine in that state. Nino has denied using the drug.
Nino (24-2-2) retained the 108-pound title Nov. 18 with a majority draw over Viloria, the former champion. Nino first won the title with a unanimous decision over Viloria in August in Las Vegas.
