‘I beat myself,’ says Viloria

LAS VEGAS — Brian Viloria was downcast in his hotel room yesterday morning. The night before, he lost his World Boxing Council (WBC) lightflyweight title to lightly-regarded Mexican challenger Omar Niño (El Maestrito) Romero on points in a monumental upset in front of 3,750 shocked fans at the Orleans Arena here.

Consoling the crest-fallen fighter were his parents Ben and Rosemarie.

But even as he admitted feeling depressed, Viloria said he wasn’t fazed by the unexpected defeat.

"I beat myself," groaned Viloria who was outworked and outhustled by Romero in losing his first pro bout. "I’m not fazed. I know he’s not better than me. I think I can beat him 99 percent of the time but I guess, he took his one percent on my bad night. I feel terrible because I disappointed the fans. I could’ve done more. That wasn’t me who fought out there. It just wasn’t my night. I’m not going to make excuses."

Viloria, 25, said he’s not sure what to do next. Retirement is an option but his father said it wouldn’t be timely to quit on a sour note.

"If you ask me, I’d like Brian to redeem himself, get back the title, go for one big payday then he can retire for good," said Viloria’s father. "He can bounce back like he did after losing in the Sydney Olympics. Maybe, it’s a blessing in disguise that he lost because now, promoters won’t be scared of him."

After knocking out Eric Ortiz in the first round to wrest the WBC 108-pound crown last year, Viloria gained a reputation of invincibility.

Japanese promoter Akihiko Honda told Viloria’s manager Gary Gittelsohn no Japanese fighter dared to enter the ring with the "Hawaiian Punch." But that was before he lost to Romero. Honda was at ringside when Romero surprisingly pierced Viloria’s shield of invincibility.

Honda doesn’t represent World Boxing Association (WBA) lightflyweight titlist Koki Kameda but could connect Gittelsohn to the popular Japanese fighter’s camp. Honda has offered to arrange a Japanese tour for Viloria to introduce him to the local fight community.

Viloria’s father said he dreams of a million-dollar fight against Kameda then a unification showdown with Romero.

But Viloria isn’t thinking of boxing at the moment. He said he’ll take time off to think things over and decide on his future.

"Boxing is a thankless and unforgiving sport," he said. "I’m not a quitter. I’m a very competitive person. But I think there’s a life out there for me without boxing. I’ve sacrificed and neglected a lot of things for boxing, like my education. There are other things I want to accomplish in life. I’ve already achieved so much for my age. I’ve competed in the Olympics and I’ve won a world title. Now, I’m ready to do other things."

Viloria said a priority is to finish his studies in broadcast journalism and earn a diploma. He has about three semesters left before graduating and plans to enroll at UCLA and take up on-line classes.

"Ever since I was in junior high school, I’ve dreamed of being a film director or producer," said Viloria. "I read up about Steven Spielberg’s life. I used to set up a toy car and make it flip from a small explosive device and film it in a video camera then play it back with music in the background and add some special effects. That was when I was in high school. Maybe, I’ll pursue a career in movies as a director. I still have to make up my mind on what to do."

Viloria confessed that when training for Romero, he sometimes felt he was just going through the motions.

"I got so immersed in boxing that it was like boxing was controlling my life and not me controlling boxing," said Viloria. "I got caught up too much in the sport. I want to be able to regain control of my life."

Viloria said it wasn’t as if he surrendered the throne to Romero on a silver platter.

"I tried to pull out a win," he continued. "In between rounds, I was aware of what (trainer) Freddie (Roach) was telling me to do. I went out there to fight but it just wasn’t happening for me.My body wasn’t responding. Freddie told me to knock the guy out in the last round but I couldn’t do it."