Can Brian Viloria Be the Bridge at 112-Pounds in 2012?

by Cliff Rold

It’s come around again.  Everything old is new again.  In the previous decade, Pongsaklek Wonjongkam reigned as lineal and WBC Flyweight champion, racking up defenses while talented beltholders abounded.  Lorenzo Parra, Takefumi Sakata, Eric Morel, Vic Darchinyan, and Nonito Donaire came and went. 

Unification bouts never arrived.

As boxing enters 2012, Wonjongkam is now a two-time lineal king and, since his loss to Daisuke Naito for his first crown, has posted three of his best wins against Julio Cesar Miranda, Koki Kameda, and Edgar Sosa. 

His co-titlists in field are all of quality.  Flyweight proper has gone about two generations without significant clashes between reigning beltholders.  The division needs a bridge figure to make it happen.

Enter Brian Viloria.

Shockingly upset by Carlos Tamara at Jr. Flyweight in 2010, Viloria has emerged as a contender in the categories for Fighter, Comeback, and Upset of the Year for 2011.  His win over rugged Julio Cesar Miranda gave him the WBO Flyweight belt.  His first defense, a dominant stoppage of then-reigning lineal Jr. Flyweight champion Giovanni Segura, gave him his finest career win.

The former U.S. Olympian and ethnic Filipino is known in the U.S. and sells in the Philippines as well.  To the benefit of the game, he’s talking the talk for the year ahead.  As noted by BoxingScene’s Ryan Burton, Viloria would love the chance at a Wonjongkam clash.  Speaking to the Boxing Lab radio show, Viloria stated, “I would to fight Pongsaklek Wonjongkam. We could fight at a neutral venue.  Malaysia and Japan are two places where I think the fight makes sense."

Location is a big issue.  Wonjongkam is a staple in Thailand.  He also has posted some big wins in Japan.  The smaller weight classes have serious followings in the land of the rising sun.  Ricardo Lopez, for instance, was probably bigger in Japan at his peak than in the U.S.

While two non-Japanese battlers might not be the best sell in Japan, pairing a Viloria-Wonjongkam clash with a notable Japanese draw could work in theory.  Anyone looking for suggestions can take these two cents: include Strawweight Kazuto Ioka.  More exposure for the exciting youngster would be welcome, and a fight with international attention could only spill over.  

Is it really possible for Flyweight to come together?  Time will tell, but recent events suggest promise.  Jr. Bantamweight and Bantamweight have both seen unification bouts in recent vintage thanks.  All of the fighters were willing, but it’s hard to question the value of Darchinyan as the bridge that brought it all together.  Cristian Mijares got the unification ball rolling at 115, but it was Darchinyan that got him to a premium cable clash for three belts.  Darchinyan was clearly the biggest star of the Showtime Bantamweight tournament field.

Viloria could play that part at Flyweight. 

The components for a Flyweight division worth caring about exist.  Just because they didn’t come together in the 00’s, there is no reason not to hope for more now.  And it’s not just Viloria and Wonjongkam. 

Tyson Marquez holds the WBA belt and won a leading Fight of the Year contender for 2011 with his first stoppage of Luis Concepcion.  The rematch, a first round thumping, increased the profile of the exciting Mexican.  Mexico is obviously a hot bed for little man action and Marquez adds another layer of intrigue.

If Wonjongkam-Viloria couldn’t happen, Viloria-Marquez could and the winner might entice the Thai great later.  There’s a natural story there.  Filipino-Mexican clashes have enriched boxing in this fistic era.  Viloria, with upset stops of Ulises Solis and Segura, would be going for a trifecta. 

Segura remains in the division and is far from irrelevant.  A loss is just a loss.  Segura-Marquez, for instance, couldn’t miss for action.

The odd man out, unfortunately, would probably be IBF titlist Moruti Mthalane.  Like Viloria and Wonjongkam, he holds a win over Miranda, winning his then vacant belt against him in 2009.  The South African has defended three times at home since.  Prior to that, he was stopped on a cut against Nonito Donaire in a fight that was still very competitive.

Mthalane gave Donaire arguably the toughest fight he’s had since Donaire entered the world title ranks.  He might be the best fighter in class if given the opportunity to prove it.  Without a natural constituency to draw international eyes, he might struggle to get it.

Then again, once the unification ball starts rolling, fun things happen and new names get included.  It just has to start somewhere.

Viloria says it can start with him.  Someone should oblige him.     

Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel, the Yahoo Pound for Pound voting panel, and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com