Viloria beaten but unbowed

MANILA, Philippines - Brian Viloria never took a step back in losing to unbeaten WBC flyweight champion Roman (Chocolatito) Gonzalez of Nicaragua and even questioned referee Benjy Esteves’ decision to halt the fight at 2:53 of the ninth round at the Madison Square Garden in New York City last Saturday night (yesterday morning, Manila time) but walked away a proud, unbowed warrior.

Viloria, 34, knew it wouldn’t be easy facing Gonzalez, who has never tasted defeat as an amateur or pro and is recognized by The Ring Magazine as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter today. Yet he showed no hesitation in engaging the 28-year-old Nicaraguan from the opening bell. In the end, Viloria just couldn’t keep pace with the tireless Gonzalez whose work rate would’ve easily overtaken even the fastest taxi meter.

Viloria got off to a strong start, surprising Gonzalez with his early aggression. He dropped short left hooks to the side of the body and wouldn’t allow Chocolatito the distance to fire. The first round went to Viloria with no debate. But in the second round, Gonzalez began to find his range, throwing combinations at a dizzying pace to underscore his incredible handspeed. Viloria stood his ground and went toe-to-toe but it was Gonzalez’ round by a slim margin.

In the third, Viloria was clipped by a counter right hook that sent him down on a knee. He quickly got up and took a mandatory eight-count.  Viloria didn’t seem hurt and charged at Gonzalez when Esteves motioned to resume the action. Gonzalez, however, stopped Viloria in his tracks and raked him with a series of blows that pushed the Hawaiian Punch to the ropes. Viloria came back in the fourth and did enough to take the round with crunching body shots.

Gonzalez seized control in the fifth, flustering Viloria with shots to the head and body. Viloria found it difficult to steady his balance, reduced to throwing a punch at a time as the Nicaraguan attacked feverishly with both hands. Gonzalez kept the pressure in the sixth but Viloria wouldn’t back down. Viloria showed little foot movement and was an easy target for Gonzalez’ combinations. Gonzalez slowed down a bit in the seventh but Viloria couldn’t take advantage. Viloria tried to bang away at Gonzalez’ body in the eighth. However, the Nicaraguan forced Viloria to cover up with blistering combinations that snapped his head back. Before the start of the ninth, the ringside physician checked on Viloria’s condition. Viloria said he was far from finished.

In the ninth, Viloria appeared to hurt Gonzalez with left hooks to the body. But that only spurred Gonzalez to unload a fussilade. At least 20 unanswered blows rained on Viloria who was backed against the ropes, prompting Esteves to call it a night. At the time of the stoppage, The Star scored it 78-73 for Gonzalez.

Viloria’s cornerman Marvin Somodio said there was nothing to be ashamed of. “Brian gave a good fight,” he said. “I think that was Gonzalez’ toughest fight ever. He was hurt several times. I just felt Brian relied too much on his power in trying to take out Gonzalez with one shot. He was waiting for the chance to throw a knockout punch. We knew Gonzalez would be tough. There’s a reason why he’s the world’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter. But he’s not as fast as he is relentless. Masipag siya. Tuloy-tuloy ang suntok niya. He wears you down.”

Somodio said Viloria wanted to go on. “When the referee stopped it, Brian asked why,” he said. “You can’t blame the referee. His No. 1 priority is to protect the fighters. Safety is his primary concern. Brian has a tendency to wait too long before coming back. That’s his style. The referee felt he took too many punches. He was standing in front of Chocolatito and wasn’t fighting back.”

Somodio said Viloria immediately asked for a rematch. “I don’t think his career is over,” he said. “Brian and his family will stay in New York for a few days before heading back to L. A. He’s thinking of a rematch with Chocolatito. If ever, Brian will have to work on his in-and-out attack, throw 1-2-3 punches then move out before Chocolatito counters. He has to be faster on his feet to move away. He can’t just stay within Chocolatito’s range. He’ll have to throw more right hands and not just rely on his left. He’ll need to box more and fight smarter.”

Somodio said as a precautionary measure, Viloria was taken to a hospital for his ribs to be checked right after the fight. “I don’t think it’s anything serious,” he said. “The state commission just wants to make sure he’s okay.”

Esteves, who worked his first pro fight as a referee in 1992 and his first world title bout in 1995, was formerly a process server and employed in the accounts receivable department at IBM. In the book “Third Man In The Ring” by Mike Fitzgerald and Patrick Morley, Esteves said his main concern as a referee is to keep the boxers safe and maintain the integrity of the sport. “In the ring, my mind is on the fighters and I’m also concerned with my positioning and making sure I’m always moving and limiting myself from blocking the judges’ view,” he said. “My focus is on the boxers, I need to be prepared for many things, like a mouthpiece falling out and which corner to take it to as well as looking for cuts, butts or other fouls.”

Esteves was within his authority to halt the bout as Viloria was trapped along the ropes and absorbing heavy punishment. Gonzalez proved to be the superior fighter with his impeccable timing, balance and rhythm. Viloria fought with heart, guts and courage.

“Brian went out there to fight with all his heart,” said Somodio. “I heard Chocolatito may move up to superflyweight. If that happens, I don’t think there will be a rematch with Brian. If Chocolatito stays in the flyweight division, he could fight Donnie Nietes or Brian again. Brian has time to think of his options. He made every Filipino proud against Gonzalez.”

The win raised Gonzalez’ record to 44-0 with 38 KOs. Viloria’s mark dipped to 36-5, with 22 KOs.