LOS ANGELES — Brian Viloria has invited a special guest ringside for his title bout. Ruben Contreras, who had surgery for blood clots on the brain shortly after their May 28 fight, is expected to accept Viloria’s invitation.
The unbeaten Viloria fights WBC champion Eric Ortiz for the light flyweight title Saturday. The Staples Center card also features Erik Morales against former Olympian Zahir Raheem, and Manny Pacquiao against Hector Velazquez.
Viloria has not seen Contreras since their fight, when Contreras quit in the sixth round, complaining of a headache. He had a seizure less than 10 minutes later and needed surgery at a nearby hospital to stop a hemorrhage around his brain.
Comatose for weeks after surgery, the 32-year-old flyweight from Caudal Juarez, Mexico, has made significant progress. He met with reporters about a month ago, not completely steady on his feet, but speaking clearly and answering questions in his native Spanish.
“I want to see him, shake his hand,” said Viloria, a 24-year-old from Honolulu. “I am dedicating this fight to Ruben Contreras, who won the biggest fight of his life, literally a fight for his life.
“He’s a real inspiration. To see him will lift my spirits.”
Viloria said he wanted to visit Contreras while he was hospitalized, but honored the wishes of the Mexican fighter’s family to limit visitors.
After the fight, Viloria went through some rough times, even questioning whether he should continue his career.
“With the help of my family and my friends, they all talked to me, assured me that it wasn’t my fault,” he said. “It helped me get through the days.”
Gary Gittelsohn, Viloria’s manager, said, “Brian and his family are very religious, so there was a lot of support for Brian and a lot of praying for the injured fighter.”
Viloria thought often of Contreras.
“When I was in the gym training, it was always in the back of my mind. I was thinking about him until I was told that he was fully recovering,” he said. “When I got word that he was OK, it was finally totally out of my mind and I could focus on what I had to do.”
Looking back, Viloria said he was surprised when he heard after the fight that Contreras had collapsed and was having surgery.
“It (their fight) was nothing out of the ordinary; he wasn’t taking too much of a beating or anything like that. There was nothing that would say it was going to end up in that type of situation,” he said.
Viloria takes a 17-0 record with 11 knockouts, into the scheduled 12-rounder against Ortiz, from Mexico City. Ortiz is 24-4-1 with 16 knockouts.
Morales, who won a decision over Pacquiao in a hard-fought match on March 19, brings a 48-2 record into the lightweight bout against Raheem, a 1996 Olympian.
Morales, from Tijuana, Mexico, has stopped 34 of his foes. Raheem, from Philadelphia, is 26-1 with 16 knockouts.
Pacquiao, from Kibawe, Philippines, is 39-3-2 with 30 knockouts heading into the super featherweight match. Velazquez, from Tijuana, is 42-10-2 with 31 knockouts.
