Viloria dons RP colors in title defense

Brian "The Hawaiian Punch" Viloria will carry the national colors as he stakes his WBC Light Flyweight crown against Mexican challenger Jose Antonio "El Jaguar" Aguirre on Feb. 19 at the Aladdin Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"The Philippine flag will be emblazoned on my shorts and gears.

I’ve always proud of my kin. I’m proud to be Pinoy," said the 25-year-old fighter born in Oahu, Hawaii of Filipino parents from Narvacan, Ilocos Sur.

Though a US citizen, Viloria is considered another Filipino ring hero aside from Manny "The Pacman" Pacquiao.

Tapped to do the blow-by-blow TV account on Pacquiao’s recent fight with Erik Morales, Viloria said he drew inspiration from Pacquiao’s sensational 10th-round stoppage of the Mexican brawler.

"I’m happy with Manny’s win and I’m ecstatic about that. It has inspired me to fight well and show the world who we are," said Viloria.

Viloria said among his future plans is to fight before the Filipino boxing fans here in the Philippines.

"It would be my way of giving back to the tremendous support given me by the Filipino people," said Viloria, accorded a hero’s welcome when he visited the country after stripping Eric Ortiz of the crown last Sept. 10 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

Viloria’s immediate goal, of course, is to successfully defend his title against Aguirre in their fight to be aired simulcast on Solar Sports and RPN 9 starting at 10 a.m. There will be a replay from 6-9 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 22.

Aguirre is by no means a patsy. He knows what it takes to win a title being a former WBC minimumweight champion himself.

The 30-year-old has a professional record of 33-4-1 (win-loss-draw) with 20 knockouts. One of his victims during his reign in the minimumweight is Filipino Manny Melchor.

Aguirre’s camp also has an axe to grind against Filipinos since the Mexican fighter is managed by Erik Morales — the same guy demolished by Pacquiao.

But Viloria is unlikely to have a rough evening — not with kingmaker Freddie Roach overseeing his preparations.

"We’re ready for a 12-round fight," said Roach.

Viloria will climb the right, carrying a clean 18-0-0 record. He won 12 fights by way of knockout.