By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Former world light flyweight champion Brian Viloria is determined to re-establish himself as a pressure fighter in his IBF world title fight against tough Mexican champion UIises Solis in an explosive championship double-header at the famed Araneta Coliseum on late Sunday morning, March 22.
In answer to a question from BoxingScene.com, insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports about his tendency to fade in the championship rounds Viloria said he “took the criticism to heart and in the last year I tried to put everything down and try to re-establish myself as a pressure fighter when I won the world title” with a spectacular first round KO of Eric Ortiz on September 10, 2005.
Viloria said that for his title shot at Solis he has during his training camp has been “to lay it all out and throwing a 120 punches a round and becoming an animal in the ring. Hopefully in March that will transpire and I will be able to show that.”
He said he’s been sparring with the same fighters who have been sparring against WBO super bantamweight champion Steven Luevano and Joan Guzman including “a lot of Mexican fighters I spar with and train with out here” in Oxnar, California.
Viloria assured Filipino fight fans that they would see “a more aggressive, warrior-like Viloria and I am going to try to put that pressure back into my arsenal and become the exciting fighter I was earlier in my career”
Viloria promised that in the Solis title fight “you will see a lot of fireworks.”
Viloria said that for the past one-and- a-half years he has bonded with renowned trainer Robert Garcia, a former world champion himself, and said “I love the way he works with me. He is a great fighter himself and like Freddie Roach he knows how to talk to a fighter in the ring and how to motivate a fighter when he needs to be motivated.”
The former world champion has shown some of the aggressive qualities in 2008 that were missing when he lost the crown to Omar Nino Romero on August 10, 2006 and figured in a draw in their rematch which was subsequently declared a “no contest” when Omar Nino tested positive for a banned substance on November 18, 2006.
The aggressiveness was also missing when he dropped a close majority decision in a clash for the vacant WBC title against Edgar Sosa on April 14, 2007.
The 28 year old Viloria won five straight fights in 2008 scoring a 2nd round KO over Benjamin Garcia in his last outing on December 12, 2008 to up his record to 24-2 with 14 knockouts.
Solis who is one year younger has a record of 28-1-2 with 20 knockouts and is coming off a twelve round unanimous decision in a title defense against Nerys Espinosa last November 2, 2008.
Solis has so far disposed of three Filipino challengers and has earned the monicker of the “Fil-executioner”. On August 4, 2007 he scored an 8th round TKO over Rodel Mayol and followed this up with a 9th round TKO over Bert Batawang on December 15, 2007 before being taken the distance by Glenn Donaire, elder brother of IBF/IBO flyweight champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire on July 12 last year.
