Viloria proud of Pinoy roots

World Boxing Council (WBC) lightflyweight champion Brian Viloria said yesterday he will always wear the Philippine flag on his trunks for a fight until he retires to express pride in his heritage.

Viloria, 24, was born in Hawaii but when he was six months old, his father Benjamin brought him to the family hometown of Narvacan, Ilocos Sur, to live with his grandparents for five years.

At a recent press conference in Glendale, promoter Bob Arum introduced Viloria as half-Hawaiian and half-Filipino. Viloria quickly corrected Arum and said he is a full-blooded Filipino.

After Viloria knocked out Eric Ortiz of Mexico to wrest the WBC crown at the Staples Center in Los Angeles last Sept. 10, he waved the Philippine flag in the ring and draped it on his shoulders.

"I’m proud of my Filipino roots," said Viloria in his Manila Peninsula Hotel room. "My closest relatives are in the Philippines. My father comes from a large family and five sisters and a brother live here. So you can imagine how many first cousins I have in the Philippines."

Viloria, his father and manager Gary Gittlesohn flew in from Los Angeles last Sunday. They leave for Narvacan today where a hero’s welcome awaits the fighter, said Solar events manager Rico Arce who is coordinating the sentimental homecoming.

Viloria will visit his ailing grandfather Oscar, 78, and grandmother, 72, in Narvacan.

Arce said the traveling party returns to Manila tomorrow then Viloria will join Manny Pacquiao and Rey (Boom Boom) Bautista as special guests in the Philippine Basketball Association opening rites at the Araneta Coliseum on Sunday. He will pay a courtesy call on President Arroyo at Malacanang the next morning and will be honored in a testimonial dinner hosted by Solar at the Crown Plaza Hotel that night.

The Vilorias and Gittlesohn depart for Hawaii on Tuesday then will be at ringside for the Jorge Arce-Hussein Hussein fight in the undercard of the Diego Corrales-Jose Luis Castillo mainer in Las Vegas on Oct. 8.

Viloria’s father said the fighter grew up with Filipino customs, traditions and values influencing their family life.

"We, Ilocanos, live by our palabra de honor," said Viloria’s father. "Kung saan ka, doon ka. That means we will never turn our back to where we came from. We are loyal to our heritage."Viloria said after watching the Arce-Hussein fight, he will sit down with Arum, his father, Gittlesohn and trainer Freddie Roach to decide what to do next.

Arce, the former WBC lightflyweight titlist, has moved up to the 112-pound division and takes on Hussein for the right to challenge WBC champion Pongsakek Wonjongkam of Thailand.

"Arce is an ideal opponent because we’re both guts and glory warriors," said Viloria. "If we fight, it’ll be total war. It will capture the imagination of fight fans. I could also fight Ivan Calderon. What to do next will be up to my management team."

Viloria said his previous promotional arrangement with Lou DiBella was nullified when he sued for breach of contract and it was settled out of court early this year. He then signed an agreement with Arum after receiving bids from Oscar de la Hoya and Cedric Kushner.

With DiBella, Viloria suffered from long gaps of inactivity that delayed the progress of his career. He almost retired out of frustration.

Viloria confided that he again thought of retiring after knockout victim Ruben Contreras nearly died from head injuries in a fight last May. And when the Ortiz bout was postponed from July 30, Viloria wondered if it was a sign to hang up his gloves.

"I was exasperated," said Viloria. "I was training hard and peaking at the right time when the fight was postponed. For a while, I couldn’t get another date. And Ruben’s condition concerned me. Finally, Gary talked to Arum about getting me in the "Double Trouble" undercard. Arum liked the idea of showcasing another Filipino in the card, aside of course from Manny Pacquiao."

Viloria fought off demons to mentally prepare himself for Ortiz.

But there was never a doubt in his mind he would win.

"I got a tape of Ortiz" last fight against (Jose Antonio) Aguirre whom he stopped," said Viloria. "After watching the first two rounds, I turned off the set and didn’t bother to watch the rest. I knew I could take him. I was faster and stronger."

Still, Viloria didn’t take Ortiz lightly.

"As a world champion, you get 30 percent better," he continued. "He’s durable and experienced. I knew he would be prepared to defend his title and I had to be 110 percent ready. When the fight ended, I didn’t expect him to give up the crown so easily. I told myself if he got up from that knockdown, it’d be a long night. That right hand was devastating and I’m glad he didn’t survive it."