Viloria celebrates in style

TARZANA, California — As if Brian Viloria’s recent win over Eric Ortiz for the World Boxing Council lightflyweight title wasn’t sweet enough, it was made even sweeter by Sugar Ray Leonard who awarded his championship belt in a victory party at the Caballero Country Club here Sunday night.

"This is the happiest moment of my life," said Viloria. "I got my belt now but the most important thing is Sugar Ray came out. I was his big fan when I was a kid. To also see James Toney, Kingsley Ikeke, Freddie Roach and so many others come out is really special to me."

Viloria, 24, celebrated with his family and friends at the party thrown by his manager Gary Gittlesohn.

"Brian has been training very, very hard for almost five years to get to the point where he could fight for the world title," said Gittlesohn who was involved in the movies "X-Men" and the "Spiderman" series as a film producer.

"When the time came, the difference between a good fighter and a great fighter really showed. He won the world title in record fashion—with a first round knockout of a very solid champion."

Leonard was on stage to present Viloria with the title belt.

"I’ve watched this young man many years ago and I told Gary he’d become somebody special," said Leonard. "I didn’t know it would happen this fast. He is a plus for boxing and a perfect role model for the youth."

Toney, the reigning International Boxing Association (IBA) heavyweight champion, described Viloria as a tenacious and strong fighter. "He’s not going to back down from nobody," said Toney who has held world titles in four other weight divisions. "I’m excited and happy for him. I think he’s going to be really successful."

Ikeke, a Nigerian middleweight contender, said he often trains with Viloria at Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Hollywood.

"We push each other in the gym," Ikeke said. "I tell him to keep training and he tells me to keep training. We’re pushing ourselves together all the time."

A misty-eyed Viloria thanked Leonard, Toney, Ikeke, his family and friends for their support but singled out Roach for his guidance.

"Freddie’s like my second father out in the ring," said Viloria. "Every fighter will tell you it takes a great crew behind you to become a great champion."

Viloria didn’t forget to acknowledge his Filipino fans.

"To everyone from the Philippines, from the Fil-Am community, thank you, guys, for opening your arms to me and embracing me like you own, like Manny Pacquiao," said Viloria who arrives in Manila this Sunday and will be a special guest, along with Pacquiao and Rey (Boom Boom) Bautista, in the Philippine Basketball Association opening program on Oct. 2 at the Araneta Coliseum.