Segura has power but Viloria unfazed

MANILA, Philippines - WBO flyweight champion Brian Viloria considers Mexican challenger Giovani Segura his toughest opponent ever and that respect is his motivation to win convincingly as he stakes his crown in a 12-round “legacy” fight at the Ynares Sports Center in Pasig this morning.

“I’m in for the long haul,” says Viloria who wrested the 112-pound crown from Mexico’s Julio Cesar Miranda last July. “I know what to do to win. I can make it easy or hard for myself. The first few rounds will be crucial. I’ll use movement to make him miss. I won’t stay in the pocket. I won’t make him pressure me. I won’t be pushed into the corners. I’ll fight him in the middle of the ring. I’ll dictate the pace with my boxing skills. I know about his power but I’ve got power of my own, too.”

Viloria, 31, says there’s no mystery in figuring out Segura’s style which he describes as one-dimensional. “He fights only one way,” notes the Hawaiian Punch. “”He doesn’t change his gameplan. He does the same thing every fight. He’ll go to the body, he’ll try to bang and turn it into a brawl. He swings wildly and he’s not as quick as Miranda. I’m prepared to break him down.”

Segura, 29, didn’t come all the way from Mexico to lose. He’s in town with manager Ricardo Mota and trainer Javier Capetillo who was suspended by the California State Athletic Commission for loading Antonio Margarito’s handwraps with plaster of paris before the fight against Sugar Shane Mosley in 2009.

In yesterday’s weigh-in supervised by WBO Asia-Pacific chairman Leon Panoncillo at the Midas Hotel, both fighters scaled 112 pounds.

For Segura, the only way to beat Viloria is to overpower him. His plan is to bulldoze his way through Viloria’s defense and knock him out. “(My opponents) worry about my power,” says Segura in an interview by David Mayo in The Ring Magazine. “They worry about not getting hit. I destroy their mind all the time. When it’s over, they realize it’s like a hammer hitting them in the head and that I had so much power they never could have imagined. Once they feel my power, even if they block a punch, they realize how strong I am. So anything they had in their head, once they start getting hit, just goes away. Their mind turns to how the heck they’re going to survive.”

Viloria’s manager Gary Gittelsohn of Los Angeles predicts a classic matchup. “This should be on HBO or Showtime but it’s too bad there is rarely any interest on flyweights and I know the networks have run out of dates at this time of year,” says Gittelsohn who will be at ringside this morning. “This extraordinary fight will take Brian’s career to the next level. Brian is at his best when he faces a tough challenge. There will be no excuses for losing. Brian had an excellent camp and he’s prepared hard for this fight. Segura’s reputation was built on his two wins over (Ivan) Calderon but let’s remember that Calderon is feather-fisted and a defensive specialist. Brian is a knockout puncher, too. I recall when Brian was training with the US Olympic team at Colorado Springs, his power was tested on a force per square inch basis and he came out second strongest, pound-for-pound, behind only Jeff Lacy and over guys like Jermain Taylor and Rocky Juarez.”

Segura turned to boxing as a way out of poverty. He was 16 when his parents left Mexico to live in the US with four of his brothers and sisters. Segura was left behind with a brother to fend for themselves. It took three years before Segura was reunited with his family. Growing up, Segura worked gardens, fixed tires by hand and took orders at a McDonald’s restaurant for $7 an hour. Then, he found his calling in the ring. At first, he lied to his father Anastacio who didn’t like the idea of his son becoming a boxer. Segura said he would play soccer but went to the gym instead. Eventually, as Segura started to make waves as a boxer, his family threw its all-out support. Now, Segura is determined to make a better life for his wife Yetlandy and their two children by boxing his way to fame and fortune.

Viloria’s chief second Ruben Gomez says there’s no way Segura will win this morning. “The only one who can beat Brian is Brian and that’s not happening,” says Gomez. “I expect a long reign for Brian as flyweight champion. In the past, Brian used to get by just with pure talent. That’s how it was with Brian because he’s so skilled and very intelligent. Now, he’s training like a champion. He’s peaking at the right time. He’s become a matured fighter with all the tools. He can pick his shots and land at will. The keys in this fight are to establish respect at the start, for Brian not to let Segura walk in and for Brian to execute his fight plan.”

Gomez reveals that Capetillo was a candidate to replace Robert Garcia as Viloria’s trainer last year. “We have a lot of respect for Capetillo,” says Gomez. “The handwrap issue is a thing of the past. All we know is Capetillo is an excellent trainer who really looks after his guys, wakes them up at 4:30 in the morning to do their runs and stays with them until the end of the day. He’s a no-nonsense guy. But we’re lucky to get Mario Morales as Brian’s trainer. Capetillo used to be Mario’s trainer when he fought as a pro.”

Morales, who’ll be in Viloria’s corner with Gomez, says the choice of how to beat Segura is the champion’s. “Brian can box him and easily win on points,” says Morales. “He’s in condition to go 12 rounds. But if Brian wants to engage, I think he can take out Segura with one punch. Either way is fine. I can’t see Segura beating Brian.”

Viloria’s wife Erica says he hasn’t trained harder in the gym. “Brian has sacrificed a lot to get himself ready for Segura,” she says. “He’s in the best shape of his life. He knows what this fight means. Beating Segura will establish Brian’s reputation as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters today.”

The fight will be shown on pay-per-view in Hawaii and live in Mexico. GMA will air the action starting with the undercard at 9 this morning.