Viloria raring to avenge loss

There’s no doubt in Gary Gittelsohn’s mind that Brian Viloria will regain the World Boxing Council (WBC) lightflyweight title from Omar Niño Romero of Mexico in the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Erik Morales rubber match at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas on Saturday night (Sunday morning, Manila).

"Romero will be a better and more confident fighter but you can take it to the bank that Brian will deliver the goods and emerge victorious," said Gittelsohn who manages Viloria. "Nov. 18 figures to be a big night for the Philippines."

Viloria, who turns 26 next week, fought listlessly in losing the crown to Romero on points in Las Vegas last August. It was his first defeat as a pro.

"It just wasn’t my night," said Viloria. "I knew what was on the line. I just had a bad night. I’m not going to make excuses."

But after months of soul-searching, Viloria reemerged with a firm resolve to get back on track. 

Romero, 30, was a longshot when he beat Viloria and now, he’s favored to repeat over the Hawaiian Punch. The Mexican isn’t expected to do anything different in the ring and will again rely on his jab to keep Viloria offbalance.

"I knew if he was going to beat me, he was going to have to hit me with counters and as long as I kept my jab out there, he wasn’t going to counter anything," said Romero who improved his record to 24-2-1, with 10 KOs.

Gittelsohn said what Romero did in the first fight, he won’t be able to reprise in the rematch because Viloria is out for revenge.

"Brian is doing great," said Gittelsohn. "His efforts in the gym have been nothing less than extraordinary. His sparring has been sensational and his focus has never been more intense. Brian knows he let many of his supporters down in his last outing and is determined to reverse matters in the rematch."

Because he will work with Pacquiao in the main event, trainer Freddie Roach won’t be in Viloria’s corner. Instead, Viloria will lean on a new team headed by Joe Hernandez who’s known for having trained Tokyo-based unbeaten World Boxing Association superfeatherweight champion Edwin Valero of Venezuela and former WBC Youth lightwelterweight titlist Francisco Bojado.

There was some concern that Viloria had not gotten over the trauma of nearly killing Ruben Contreras in scoring a sixth-round knockout in Los Angeles last year. There was also some concern that Viloria was undergoing personal problems related to his love life.

Gittelsohn, however, said the distractions are a thing of the past. 

Gittelsohn is also the lawyer and manager of World Boxing Organization (WBO) superflyweight champion Fernando Montiel who has been ordered to make a mandatory title defense against Filipino Z Gorres.

"I am Fernando’s lawyer and manager and I still counsel him about his boxing career as I have been doing for years," said Gittelsohn. "Fernando’s family plays an important role in his affairs and we have the most cordial and mutually supportive relationship."

Gittelsohn said the purse bid process will untangle the stalemate in negotiating Montiel’s defense against Gorres.

"Fernando recognizes the WBO’s decision to schedule a mandatory defense," said Gittelsohn. "While he welcomes the opportunity to meet Gorres in the ring, Fernando has not been able to reach satisfactory terms with Golden Boy on the business matters relating to the fight and other matters relating to their promotional relationship. So if the stalemate continues, as it appears it will, matters of this sort are resolved through the purse bid process. It’s a common practice and one in which Golden Boy and other interested promoters will participate. It’s also a fair way of determining market value for a championship fight."

The purse bidding is set at the WBO headquarters in Puerto Rico on Friday and will be presided by WBO president Francisco Valcarcel. The minimum bid is $100,000. The winning bidder will be given 90 days to stage the fight.