Viloria vows big comeback

MANILA, Philippines - Former WBO/IBF lightflyweight and WBA/WBO flyweight champion Brian Viloria dispelled all doubts of an uncertain future as he promised the other day “to work my butt off to get back on top.”

Viloria, 33, hasn’t fought since losing the WBA/WBO 112-pound belts to Mexico’s Juan Francisco Estrada on a split 12-round decision in Macau last April. He could’ve beaten Estrada but appeared to lose steam down the stretch. Viloria blew an early lead to fade in the late rounds and barely held on to finish the fight on his feet.

After a long layoff, Viloria is back at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles working with Freddie Roach’s Filipino assistant Marvin Somodio. Nothing is sure about Viloria’s next fight but he’s itching for a rematch with Estrada. A slot in Top Rank’s “Ring of Fire” card is available at the Cotai Arena inside the Venetian Resort Hotel and Casino in Macau on Feb. 22 with Viloria hoping to land a fight.

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum plans three bills in Macau next year and one in Singapore as he continues to make inroads in the huge Asian market. For the Feb. 22 card, Arum said he’s spicing it up with two world title fights but nothing is final on the protagonists. After dethroning Viloria, Estrada defended the WBA/WBO titles against Filipino Milan Melindo, also in Macau, last July. A rematch with Viloria appears imminent unless Estrada decides to relinquish and move up to the superflyweight division.

There is an unconfirmed rumor that Estrada isn’t keen on fighting Viloria again and would rather vacate than risk a vengeful beating from the Hawaiian Punch. If Estrada backs off, the talk is Viloria and Giovani Segura will be tapped to dispute the WBO crown. That could be one of two world title fights in the Feb. 22 bill in Macau. It won’t be the first encounter between the two warriors. In Dec. 2011, Viloria halted Segura in the eighth round to retain his WBO flyweight title at the Ynares Sports Center in Pasig. Referee Samuel Viruet stepped in to save Segura from more punishment as the Mexican left the ring with an ugly swelling in the forehead over his right eye. Segura, 31, rocketed back into title contention as he halted Hernan (Tyson) Marquez in the 12th round in Sonora last month to raise his record to 31-3-1, with 27 KOs. Viloria’s record is 32-4, with 19 KOs.

“I’m back in the gym,” said Viloria. “We’re still trying to lock an opponent down.” What’s inspiring Viloria to work even harder now is his wife Erica is expecting their first child. She is four months pregnant. Viloria said he still doesn’t know if the baby is a girl or boy but doctors should be able to tell by next week.

Viloria’s loss to Estrada was an unexpected shocker. “The upset comes just as Viloria was beginning to gain pound-for-pound notoriety following successive KOs of Segura, Omar Nino Romero (avenging a defeat) and Marquez,” wrote Kenneth Sam-Bouhairie in London’s Boxing News. “He might have underestimated Estrada. Father Time may be catching up with Viloria although it didn’t appear that way early on as he confidently weaved forward in the first and landed a hard left hook upstairs. Estrada’s Spartan-like conditioning was on display as the fight entered the championship rounds. Viloria was still game but paid the price every time he opened up, eating right-hand counters before he could get full extension on his own punches. Viloria’s been written off before and proved the doubters wrong but is now closer to retirement than he is his prime. He is still a formidable task for anyone in the division.”

Two of the three judges saw it for Estrada with Michael Pernick of Miami scoring 116-111 and New Zealand’s Francisco Martinez 117-111. Judge Levi Martinez of Las Cruces, New Mexico, had it for Viloria, 115-113.

Don Stradley, writing in The Ring Magazine, said he’s not counting out Viloria. “This bout (against Estrada) will not be his swan song,” said Stradley. “We’ve counted Viloria out before and he has always returned. As we have grown accustomed to seeing from Viloria, it was a good fight and a rematch may be in order. The up-and-down career of Viloria continues.”