THE REACTION was unanimous. Filipino fight fans all over the world felt dejected over the inexplicable loss suffered by their countryman Brian Viloria in Las Vegas on Friday.
These frustrated citizens were not exactly sad.
Sorry, Brian, they were all very mad.
“What a stink,” texted former RP national cyclist Rolando Hiso. “What do you think: Viloria took a dive? That’s the news here in Chicago. Thanks.”
Hiso, who would fly all the way from his Illinois nest to be at ringside for Manny Pacquiao’s big bouts in Vegas, however, woke up congratulating himself. He was already in Nevada for his mother’s birthday and had thought of attending the Viloria title defense at Orleans Hotel and Casino.
Hiso decided to skip it, thereby saving himself from a live, full-scale heartache.
Of course, there was no escaping the taunts from Mexican officemates in Chicago who continue to rib Hiso about Viloria’s heartless stand.
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There were also those who refused to buy what they described as Viloria’s deliberate dumbness.
Two-time national marathon cycling champion Jess Garcia, a half-Mexican, had a loose suspicion that Viloria had allowed himself to be “mafia-ed.”
“He was not ready, he was not yet ripe (hindi pa hinog),” said Garcia from his Pangasinan perch. “He can’t compare with Manny Pacquiao, from all angles.”
From Inquirer columnist Beth Celis: “Did he chicken out (Naduwag ba)? How boring siyang panoorin.”
Out there at the SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City, Kit So, a housewife from Binangonan, Rizal, said all those who watched the fight on a video wall ended up very frustrated.
“You could see it in their sour faces, inis na inis (they were all peeved),” she reported.
Yes, Filipino fans, expecting a resounding win by Viloria, ended up feeling short-changed, if not robbed.
Viloria’s soft losing stand spoiled what could’ve been a pleasant weekend.
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Anyway, slow and undecided with his fists, Viloria was quite quick to hint at a rematch.
He immediately announced he would ask his handlers, who have an option on his conqueror’s next fights, to study the possibility of a second encounter with the new champ.
Not so quick, batted in Viloria’s manager, Garry Gitthelson.
“Before we could think of the options,” the disappointed manager told one of two Filipino broadcasters who worked the bout for Solar Sports, “we first have to do some soul-searching.”
For his part, Viloria would explain that he was very, very shocked.
Viloria could not seem to fathom what had caused his pitiful destitution inside the ring against Nino Romero, the obscure Mexican challenger who took his WBC 108-lb title.
Then, somewhat recovering from the jolt, Viloria later explained that he waited too long.
OK. He tarried and stood there doing nothing. But what appeared clear was that Viloria failed to solve early the sharp jabbing attacks of Romero who, pardon this, did not actually appear too superior and strong.
Based on his past fights, Viloria entered the ring on Friday armed with better weaponry.
That he could’ve left all his gifts and skills inside the dugout was beside the point.
He kept waiting uselessly for an opening.
But Viloria, pure and simple, lost because he allowed himself to be intimidated.
* * *
A report from ringside during the fight said Viloria had visibly blacked out.
He would just stare blankly during the breaks while trainer Freddie Roach was frantically giving instructions.
Once the fight resumed, Viloria would be practically defenseless, a sucker for easy jabs and straights.
Brian was so shallow and predictable he looked like a willing party, an agent in showcasing his opponent’s sharpness.
Now, before everything else, they all have to heed what Viloria’s manager had prescribed before they should start thinking of the future.
Viloria must undergo a serious soul-searching.
In order to arrive at a solution, they first have to investigate why Viloria had suffered a failure of nerve.
Just like a race car, they must determine how badly Viloria had been wrecked after suffering his first pro defeat.
They must check if the organ that had powered the fierce fighting machine is still in its right place.
A cardiac test appears imperative.
