“I?m coming back bigger and better. I am working my way to another world title shot.”
BoxingTalk: Brian, how do you feel of your performance against Bernal last week?
Brian Viloria: Overall I felt good. I came into this fight with high expectations. This fight allowed me to get some ring rust off which I felt I had, but that is expected with a year off. I had a great team behind me.
BoxingTalk: I?m sure it is a relief to finally get back into the ?win? column.
Brian Viloria: It?s nice to be back and start the year off right.
BoxingTalk: Described what happened in the eighth round with the knockdown and the point deduction.
Brian Viloria: Bernal kept spitting out his mouthpiece. I think the ref caught onto that. I knew he was getting tired, so I went to the body. I fired off great shots and I eventually floored him. This was a great fight for me.
BoxingTalk: Do you see any improvements that need to be made in your next fight?
Brian Viloria: There?s a lot of improvements I need to do. I know I need to use my stock of weapons that I have. Tonight, I kept going to the body and throwing jabs, and it worked well for me. I?m going to the gym to work on those things, and come into this year with a better groove.
BoxingTalk: How was it working with the Robert Garcia and having him in your corner this time around?
Brian Viloria: Robert is a former world champion. He knows how to put the whole package together. We?ve gotten close and he?s a great guy.
BoxingTalk: How did he Garcia compare to the more renowned trainers you have had in your corner, like Freddie Roach and Joe Goossen?
Brian Viloria: Every trainer has his own style. Robert knows how to say the right things at the right time, and for a fighter like me who has been in this game for a while, that is what I need.
BoxingTalk: What statement do you believe you made on Friday night?
Brian Viloria: That I?m coming back bigger and better. I am working my way to another world title shot. Working one fight at a time, and enjoying it more, not putting so much pressure on myself.
BoxingTalk: When would you like to get back into the ring next?
Brian Viloria: Fighting in a tent under the pouring rain when I have fought under the light of Las Vegas and Staples Center in Los Angeles was a very humbling experience for me, but this gets me grounded and back to the purity of the sport. I give myself a B+/A-.
BoxingTalk: How was it for you fighting at 112 pounds?
Brian Viloria: I feel better. I don?t feel like I?m killing myself with those 4 pounds. I come into the ring feeling stronger and not so fatigued. I?m more comfortable at this weight, and I think I lingered around 108 too long. I?ve been at 106-108 since 2000.
In speaking with Viloria’s manager Gary Gittelsohn about the Hawaiian Punch’s next fight, Gittelsohn told BoxingTalk, “I think we?ll keep Brian active and get him at least two or three more fights over the next two months. Then the idea would be to challenge for the 112-pound title.”
