MANILA, Philippines - WBO flyweight champion Brian Viloria knows exactly what’s in store when he takes on Mexican challenger Giovani Segura, probably his toughest opponent ever, in a 12-round bout at the Ynares Sports Center in Pasig on Dec. 11.
“I’ve sparred with Segura in the past and we beat the hell out of each other,” said Viloria who flew in from Los Angeles last Saturday. “It was the kind of sparring where we could have charged the audience for an entrance fee and they wouldn’t have complained. Segura is a very dangerous opponent for me but if I beat him, I’ll get to keep my title and grab his slot in The Ring Magazine’s pound-for-pound ratings.”
Segura, 29, is ranked No. 9 in The Ring’s latest pound-for-pound standings where Manny Pacquiao tops the list, Floyd Mayweather is No. 2, Sergio Martinez No. 3 and Nonito Donaire No. 4.
There’s no question Segura is a formidable foe. His record is 28-1-1, with 24 KOs, including 11 in the first round. The draw was with Benjamin Garcia in his second pro outing in 2003 and he knocked out Garcia in the first round in a rematch two weeks later. The loss was a decision to Cesar Canchilla in 2008 and Segura avenged it via a fourth round demolition in a rematch eight months later.
What makes Segura a scary proposition is his hunger. He was born in a tough neighborhood in Guerrero, Mexico, and worked his way through landscaping jobs, fixing tires by hand and taking orders at a McDonald’s for $7 an hour. A former WBA/WBO lightflyweight champion, Segura is determined to save enough money for a home. He drives a shop-worn Mercedes which he bought for $3,500 and his wife Yetlandy’s car is over 10 years old. Segura still buys things for his brothers and sisters and bought a small SUV for his mother to drive to church.
“(My early childhood) made me realize how the world runs, it made me realize that I’m ready and that I have no fear to do something because I know I’ve been through a lot of hard things,” said Segura in an interview with David Mayo for The Ring Magazine. “It made me a stronger man in everything I do. Every little thing, I try to do it as best I can. And I’m very thankful for every little thing I have. I’m thankful to God for what I have. I’m fighting now to be a better man, to do a lot of good things and of course, to have a better life.”
Segura said he realizes fighting in the small weight divisions won’t bring in millions of dollars. “I just have to find my way to work and find a little spot, find a little window to be open for me,” he said. “If they don’t open it for me, I have to find a way because I think I’m a smart guy who’s working his way up the hard way. But I’m going to do it. If I have to do it the hard way, I’ll do it. I wish I could make all those millions of dollars. It’s not possible but I’m pretty sure I’m going to work my way through it and do something about it.”
Two of Segura’s favorite fighters are Filipino but Viloria is not on his list. “Mike Tyson was one of my favorites,” he said. “Ricardo ‘Finito’ Lopez, Oscar de la Hoya, for what he’s done inside and outside of the ring. Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather. Nonito Donaire is one of my favorite fighters. Julio Cesar Chavez, if not for him, I don’t think Giovani Segura would exist because he’s the man I would watch the most when I was a kid.”
Chavez will be at ringside for the Viloria-Segura bout as an analyst with another Mexican ring legend Marco Antonio Barrera on the broadcast panel for TV Azteca which is airing the fight live in Mexico.
Segura is known as a devastating body puncher who destroyed Puerto Rican hero Ivan Calderon twice with shots to the gut. “When I was an amateur, everybody would go to the head,” he told Mayo. “One, two, three to the head, one, two three to the head. Kids would not throw to the body. When I would throw combinations, I would think, wait a minute, I can throw a straight hand here but then hook down here. And sometimes, I would start going to the body and they would drop their hands and I would finish them off upstairs. I keep using that formula and it keeps on working because I hit hard. I just need to find the spots, find the right shots and just land them. I know I hit hard. It’s just a matter of finding the right timing, switching it up and down and taking chances.”
Segura arrived in Manila last Wednesday, three days ahead of Viloria. He went to the Mexican Embassy for a courtesy call last Friday morning then worked out at the Planter Jupiter Gym in Makati that afternoon. Viloria attended Mass at the Manila Cathedral yesterday morning. The weigh-in is scheduled at the Midas Hotel, Roxas Boulevard, on Saturday morning.