No worries from Viloria

MANILA, Philippines - Unified WBO/WBA flyweight champion Brian Viloria said yesterday he worked the fight plan to perfection in disposing of Mexican Hernan (Tyson) Marquez at 1:01 of the 10th round in Los Angeles and was never worried about losing despite some shaky moments.

The execution went like precise clockwork in the unification title showdown last Saturday. “The plan was to stick my jab in his face, go down to the body, pile up the points and make him desperate so he comes charging into my attack zone,” said Viloria in an overseas telephone interview with The Star. “We figured he would look out for my left hook over the top so I went to the body to slow him down a bit. I wanted to frustrate him with my jab, combinations and movement. When he got desperate because he was way behind on points, I waited for him to come in and make a mistake. Then, I got him with the left hook.”

Viloria, 31, landed a right hook to the jaw to drop Marquez in the first round. A four-punch flurry capped by a right straight decked the Mexican in the fifth. Marquez went down from a left hook to the jaw in the 10th, got up and soaked in a few more shots before his trainer Robert Garcia threw in the towel, prompting referee David Mendoza to halt the carnage.

“Marquez didn’t surprise me with what he did,” said Viloria. “If there was anything that he did different, it was his inactivity in the early rounds. It was like he was waiting for me to tire out. I took advantage to pick up rounds because I knew he would get desperate. I was in great shape. I didn’t get tired. I could’ve gone five to six more rounds.”

Early in the fifth, Marquez appeared to hurt Viloria and launched a furious assault. For a while, it looked like Viloria would go down as Marquez rained blows from all angles. But when Marquez got arm-weary, Viloria recoiled to floor the Mexican in a rousing reversal. “I got buzzed by a right but I was never in trouble,” said Viloria. “I let him punch himself out. I took his shots on the arms so he wasn’t really connecting anything substantial. I waited for him to tire out then I came back. As he hit me, I felt his punches were slowing down, that the power was diminishing. I knew it was just a matter of time before he punched himself out and it would be my turn to strike.”

Viloria said he was in control of the fight from start to finish. “I didn’t rush it,” he said. “I boxed him out and coasted in the late rounds since I was ahead on points anyway. I knew at some point, he would come in and make a mistake. In my corner, Ruben (Gomez) and Marvin (Somodio) kept reminding me to just stick to the fight plan, not to stray from it, to execute what we trained to do in the gym.”

Working Viloria’s corner were Freddie Roach’s assistant Somodio, cutman Gomez who has been with the Hawaiian Punch since his pro debut in 2001 and former WBA supermiddleweight champion Frankie Liles.

Ironically, Marquez’ trainer Garcia used to work Viloria’s corner. Garcia was with Viloria when he halted Ulises Solis for the IBF lightflyweight crown at the Araneta Coliseum in 2009 and lost the title to Carlos Tamara at the Cuneta Astrodome a year later. Roach, Joe Goosen, Liles and Mario Morales were other trainers who’ve worked with Viloria.

“I think Marquez was banking on me getting tired by the sixth round,” said Viloria. “But I worked hard on building my stamina in training camp. I felt great. I knew what I was doing in the ring. I made him chase me a little bit in the late rounds because he was frustrated and desperate. It worked just like we planned.”

The win raised Viloria’s record to 32-3, with 19 KOs. He has now won six in a row since losing to Tamara and his last four victims were Mexicans Julio Cesar Miranda, Giovani Segura, Omar Nino Romero and Marquez. His last four fights ended inside the distance.