It’s open season for Viloria

MANILA, Philippines - Fresh from unifying the WBO and WBA flyweight championships, Brian Viloria said the other day he’s looking forward to bigger fights in anticipating his breakthrough as a pay-per-view attraction with options like moving up to the superflyweight division or further consolidating the 112-pound class or taking on unbeaten lightflyweight titlist Roman (El Chocolatito) Gonzalez of Nicaragua.

“Right now, I’m enjoying this victory,” said Viloria who stopped Hernan (Tyson) Marquez in a unification showdown in Los Angeles last Saturday. “I won’t be fighting again until three to four months so we’ve got time to negotiate. We’ll study the financial issues. I’m comfortable at 112. I came in underweight at the weigh-in for the Marquez fight. But I could go up to 115 if there’s a good fight out there. I could face the WBC flyweight champion (Toshiyuki Igarashi) but that depends on if he wants to come out of Japan. I could unify all the flyweight championships and I could do Chocolatito, too.”

Viloria described his performance against Marquez as career-defining. “That fight’s got to be in the top two or three or four of my career,” he said. “That’s right up there with Julio (Cesar Miranda), (Ulises) Solis and (Giovani) Segura.” Viloria’s manager Gary Gittelsohn said before the fight, a win would throw the doors open for the Hawaiian Punch to stamp his class as a marquee fighter for HBO and Showtime. Viloria made sure he walked right in.

Viloria said he plans to visit Manila soon for the traditional rounds of media interviews. He’s been invited by Manny Pacquiao to join the TV commentary panel for the Filipino ring icon’s fourth fight against Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas on Dec. 8. “I’d love to do it,” said Viloria. “I was honored that Manny asked. I just have to sort out my schedule because I’m committed to be with my brother-in-law for his wedding in Hawaii on Dec. 7. Maybe, I could fly out to Vegas the next day to make the fight then go to Manila.”

Gittelsohn rushed onto the ring after referee David Mendoza stopped the fight to declare Viloria the winner by technical knockout over Marquez at 1:01 of the 10th round and had to be restrained from embracing his protege by security. Viloria said the security measure was imposed in the event of a knockout to provide doctors space in the ring to attend to the victim. “That restriction was discussed before the fight,” said Viloria. “Security just wanted a few minutes to clear the ring.” After Marquez was examined by doctors, Gittelsohn reentered the ring to embrace Viloria, cutman Ruben Gomez and trainer Marvin Somodio. Gittelsohn has nurtured Viloria’s career in a father-son relationship and is chiefly responsible for the fighter’s emergence as a three-time world champion. Asked whom Viloria could fight next, Gittelsohn jokingly blurted out “Floyd Mayweather Jr.” to declare that the Hawaiian Punch is ready to take on all comers.

Viloria said he celebrated the victory in a late dinner with Filipino trainer Marvin Somodio, family and friends at the ESPN Zone.

For Viloria, it doesn’t matter whom he fights next. Gonzalez, 25, is a prime candidate with a 34-0 record, including 28 KOs, 8 in the first round. In the Viloria-Marquez undercard, Gonzalez trounced Juan Francisco Estrada on points to retain his WBA lightflyweight crown.