Viloria out to bring down icon

MANILA, Philippines - Brian Viloria faces the toughest opponent in his 14-year prizefighting career when he takes on unbeaten WBC flyweight champion Roman (Chocolatito) Gonzalez in a 12-round title bout at Madison Square Garden in New York City this morning (Manila time) but there’s nothing like a challenge to bring out the best in the Hawaiian Punch.

Viloria, 34, knows he’s up against a virtual icon, a man dubbed by Boxing News as “the undoubted King of the Little Men” and recognized by The Ring Magazine as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter today. Gonzalez, 28, has never been beaten in 88 amateur and 43 professional fights. The Nicaraguan has won world titles in three different divisions and is often described by experts as aggressive and intelligent.

No doubt, Viloria will have his hands full. Still, he isn’t fazed. Viloria said fighting Gonzalez has been on his mind for years and now that it’s happening, he won’t let the opportunity to win slip away. Stamina was what he worked on in getting ready for Gonzalez and with strength and conditioning coach Frankie Escobedo supervising his build-up, Viloria said he’s in the best shape of his life.

“I’m more confident than ever but I need to be smart and physical in the fight,” said Viloria. “One thing that will lead me to victory is to put pressure and push Roman back. I believe his strength is he’s a very technical and well-schooled fighter. He chooses his battles well and delivers his combinations crisp and methodically. I think his weakness is he hasn’t been tested by a puncher like myself and we’ll also have to see if he can withstand pressure.”

Trainer Freddie Roach won’t be in Viloria’s corner as he’s in Los Angeles working with WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto and WBA cruiserweight titlist Denis Lebedev at the Wild Card Gym. In Viloria’s corner will be Roach’s chief assistant Marvin Somodio and long-time cutman Ruben Gomez.

Viloria’s manager Gary Gittelsohn said Roach’s absence won’t be a factor. “Freddie was with Brian throughout his camp,” said Gittelsohn. “The strategy is in place and Brian is prepared to execute it. Marvin is a marvelous trainer who works brilliantly with Brian they’re fully on the same wavelength. I feel terrific about their connection and the makeup of the corner with Ruben.” Somodio was with Viloria when he annexed the WBA flyweight crown via a 10th round stoppage of Hernan (Tyson) Marquez in Los Angeles in 2012.

In Friday’s weigh-in, both fighters tipped the scales at 111.4 pounds. It was earlier speculated that Gonzalez may find it difficult to make the 112-pound limit as he appeared puffy in a sweat suit two days before. A week ago, Gonzalez reportedly weighed three pounds over the limit. Gonzalez, however, had some to spare when he finally got on the scales at the weigh-in.

Gonzalez fought his way out of poverty in Nicaragua and as a boy, his sustenance was a concoction of sugar and water. “He comes from a very humble background and learned to box as a child,” said his manager Carlos Blandon Vidaurre, quoted by Mark Butcher in Boxing Monthly. “His milk wasn’t in a carton or plastic bottle it was in a plastic bag. He would find a guayaba tree and with a little rope, he would fill the empty milk bag with sand and hang it on the tree. That was his first punchbag when he was seven. His dad overcame alcoholism. Roman liked soccer more than boxing then so he would have to hide from his dad when he played soccer. Ever since Roman became a professional fighter, his dad put the bottle down and concentrated on being his boxing assistant. Their relationship is great now. He is always in Roman’s corner and gives him a great amount of motivation and spiritual strength as he always leads the prayers before fights.”

Vidaurre said Gonzalez’ father, uncle, grandfather and great grandfather were boxers but only his father Luis Alberto had some success as a two-time Nicaraguan champion.

Gonzalez, who idolizes Mike Tyson for his strength and skills, said he is driven by the goal of providing a better life for his family. “We were very poor when I was young,” he told Paul Wheeler of Boxing News. “The best advice I’ve ever received was to follow God’s path. Have faith in God that you will accomplish your goals.”

Viloria’s record is 36-4 with 22 KOs while Gonzalez’ mark is 43-0 with 37 KOs. Viloria has won 10 of his 11 previous outings, the last three inside the distance. Gonzalez’s last nine fights ended in a knockout. Both are power punchers with the capability of ending a bout with a single blow. “We respect Gonzalez a lot as a skilled fighter but his style suits Brian,” said Somodio. “Personally, I’m confident because Brian is well-prepared. That’s why I know Brian can beat Gonzalez.”

Benjy Esteves Jr., who is of Puerto Rican descent, will be the third man in the ring. The judges will be Don Ackerman of New York, Waleska Roldan of New York and Don Trella of Connecticut. The Gonzalez-Viloria bout will be in the undercard of the main event featuring Kazakhstan’s Gennady Golovkin against Canada’s David Lemieux in an IBF/IBO/WBA and interim WBC middleweight unification championship duel. The fights will be shown on HBO pay-per-view.