Viloria: A Win Over Gonzalez Will Help Propel My Legacy

By Jake Donovan

Brian Viloria has never needed much motivation to take on the best fighters in the lower weight classes. The resilient former two-division champ has rebounded from his last loss – a 12-round decision to Juan Francisco Estrada in April ’13 to end his run as a unified flyweight titlist – to win four straight. His current run was enough to command the attention of World flyweight champion Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez, whom he will face on October 17 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

On Gonzalez’ end, he chooses to make the third defense of his flyweight championship versus Viloria simply because that’s the challenger who answered the call when few others were willing to step up.

So why exactly was Viloria the one to say ‘yes’ to a fight where others demanded more than fair market value would allow?

“It was my time,” Viloria (36-4, 22KOs) said of the opportunity to face the defending champion and the universally regarded best fighter in the world. “When I lost my world titles to Estrada I wanted to get back on that horse. A win over Gonzalez will help propel my legacy.

“Now that he's #1, beating him will also cement my legacy. I'm getting up in age (Viloria turns 35 in November). I think it's all about timing. I have the confidence and strength to win this fight.”

Doing so will prove to be an insurmountable task, though that’s not at all a reflection on Viloria. Included among his career credentials are a brilliant amateur career that led to a spot on the 2000 U.S. Olympic boxing team, as well as title wins in two weight classes.

With the good has also come the bad. Viloria has endured losses that have no business gracing his resume, though almost always leading to his returning near the top of the heap. 

His rise to fame was a bumpy road, but one where he managed to remain unbeaten on his way to winning his first world title. A Sept. ’05 1st round knockout win over Eric Ortiz allowed Viloria to become the 3rd member from the Class of 2000 to win a world title, following Jeff Lacy and Jermain Taylor.

The reign lasted less than a year before dropping a stunner to Omar Romero in Aug. ’06. He came up short in their rematch just three months later, though was given the chance to fight for the vacant title when Romero tested positive for a banned substance. A subsequent loss to Edgar Sosa had many in the industry speculating that Viloria – winless in three straight – had seen his best days.

It wouldn’t be the first time he was written off… or the first time that he would climb back only to fall back down. An inspiring 11th round knockout of Archie Solis in April ’09 netted Viloria a second junior flyweight title, only for his reign to once again get cut short in a shocking loss. This time it came at the hands of Carlos Tamara, suffering the lone knockout loss of his career when he was stopped with just over a minute to go in a fight in which he was winning on two of the three scorecards.

The setback marked the last time Viloria saw 108 on a scale, moving up to flyweight, where a six-fight win streak followed. Included among the lot: a flyweight title win over Julio Cesar Miranda in his native Hawaii; a shockingly one-sided 8th round knockout of then-World junior flyweight champ Giovani Segura; a revenge-fueled stoppage win over Romero; and an 11th round stoppage of Hernan ‘Tyson’ Marquez in November ‘12.

His win over Marquez came on the same night Gonzalez scored a 12-round victory over Estrada, the two bouts making for one of the best televised doubleheaders in recent memory. Naturally, Viloria would go on to lose his next fight, a heartbreaking split decision to Estrada that following April.

Four wins later, he is back in the title picture. More so, he is well aware of what went wrong in the past and how it has impacted his training for what he rightfully views as the most important fight of his remarkable career.

“I don't think I took some of those fights as seriously as I should have,” Viloria readily admits. “It's just circumstances. There have been times I could have done a lot more. I could have pushed myself a lot more in the gym and in those fights.

“In this, I've taken out all the stops. I live, eat and breathe Roman Gonzalez. I haven't done that for the fights I've lost. When I'm given the challenge, I push myself extra hard.”

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com.
Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
Facebook Page: JakeBScene