The two-division champion Viloria, 29, has been dodging few but seemingly irksome issues about punishing himself to make the weight limit just to keep his International Boxing Federation (IBF) ligh-flyweight belt.
“Everybody thinks I’m crazy making the weight since I was 14 years old. I love the training camp and the situation there,” said Viloria, also a former world flyweight kingpin.
Nicknamed “The Hawaiian Punch”, Viloria (26-2, 15 knockouts) has been on a roll since hooking up with trainer Roberto Garcia and setting up most of his training camp at the La Colonia Boxing Club in Oxnard, California.
Viloria proved how comfortable he is in his division by easily making the weight in yesterday’s weigh-in held at the Manila Hotel.
While Viloria had an easy time to make the weight limit, 26 year-old Tamara (20-4, 14 KOs) needed almost half an hour to lose excess poundage to make the 108-pound limit.
Wearing a boxer brief, Tamara tipped in half a pound over the limit in his first try, but made the weight just the same after minutes of shadow boxing outside the hall.
Instead of being affected, Tamara’s coach Butch Sanchez sounded fired up about his fighter and even predicted a stoppage.
“I think late round stoppage,” Sanchez said. “But a decision is just fine. ‘W’ is just as good as stoppage.”
“I’ll just rest, eat and I might come in tomorrow (today) about six pounds heavier,” Viloria said.
Told about the Sanchez’s prediction, Viloria’s coach was all smile.
“If they think that way, then I’ll know were going to have a good fight. The fans are going to enjoy a great fight,” he said.
Garcia said Viloria’s power punch and tactical defense will spell the difference.
“Tamara is a smart fighter and he’s a little bit taller than Brian. He’s going to use his reach advantage but we know Brian is a great power puncher. We have 12 rounds to do our work,” Garcia said. “He’s a very talented fighter and he has a very good defense and he could make his opponents miss and he also hits hard. He even hits harder than a lot of featherweights. That’s the big advantage.”
If there’s one thing that motivates Tamara to do well in the fight, it’s the fact that he’s the heavy underdog.
“I love the fact that a lot of people here are not giving us a shot. It’s almost a dejavu for us. It feels good that a lot of people are thinking that Viloria is going to retain his title,” Sanchez said.
Viloria will be making the second defense of his IBF crown which he won via a scintillating 11th round stoppage of longtime ruler Ulisses Solis of Mexico April of last year at the Araneta Coliseum.
In the main supporting bout of the card dubbed “Collision Course”, WBO world minimumweight champion Donnie Nietes sees action in a non-title 10-round bout opposite Mexican knockout artist Jesus Silvestre (15-1, 12 KO’s).
The 27-year-old Nietes (25-1-3, 14 KO’s) wants to keep himself busy and stay on course in his own attempt to unify the 105lb division.
Also seeing action in the undercard is the much-awaited debut of Dodie Boy Penalosa, Jr. who will battle five-fight veteran Anthony Balubar in a six-round super bantamweight clash.
The event will be beamed live in the United States with the first bout set to start at 8 a.m.
Source: Francis Santiago | Manila Bulletin
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