By Mark Vester
In a very unforeseen Thursday night upset, unknown Mexican fighter Omar Nino (24-2-1, 10 KOs), upset undefeated Brian Viloria (19-1, 12 KOs), of Hawaii, by unanimous decision to capture the WBC light flyweight championship of the world.
This upset must be a blow to Viloria's promotional outfit, Top Rank, as they were building the young fighter into one of their next big stars. Nicknamed the "Hawaiian Punch," Viloria later changed his nickname to the "Filipino-Hawaiian Punch" to honor his birthplace, the Philippines. He was a rising star among Filipino fight fans, and on the verge of landing a big payday against Ivan Calderon.
The final scores were 117-112, 118-110, 117-111, all for Nino.
Nino simply outworked, outhustled and outboxed Viloria. It was the first fight for Nino in the United States and he was fighting for a world title for the first time in his career. Viloria was unable to get off with his punches, while Nino was quicker with his hands and never allowed Viloria to change the momentum.
Nino adds Viloria to his resume, which also holds a first-round knockout over Mexican sensation Jorge Arce, when the two fighters met in 1996, very early in their careers.