LOS ANGELES – Brian Viloria returned to the site of one of the scariest moments in his career, and he ended up turning in the greatest performance of his career.
Viloria attacked Eric Ortiz from the opening bell and knocked him out with a right cross to the chin with one second left in the first round to capture the WBC junior-flyweight championship on Saturday night on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Hector Velazquez bout at Staples Center.
Viloria almost quit boxing a couple of months ago after his May 28 opponent, Ruben Contreras, ended up in a coma after their fight.
But Contreras recovered from his brain injuries, lifting a burden from Viloria’s shoulders and giving him the inspiration to continue his career.
“I was choked up seeing Ruben in the stands,” Viloria said. “I almost cried before I stepped in the ring.”
Viloria (18-0, 12 KOs) joins his 1996 U.S. Olympic teammates Jermain Taylor and Jeff Lacy as world champions.
Viloria is a a 108-pounder, but he showed he can pack a heavyweight punch. Viloria kept the pressure on Ortiz (24-5-1, 16 KOs) from the start. Ortiz tried his best to fight back, but Viloria buckled him with a jab midway through the round.
Viloria staggered Ortiz with a right in the closing seconds, then landed another right that sent Ortiz hard to the canvas. Ortiz looked like he might beat the count, rising to his feet on wobbly legs, but he fell to the canvas again.
“I didn’t know he could punch like that,” promoter Bob Arum said.
Arum said he could see Viloria fighting WBO mini-flyweight champion Ivan Calderon or the winner of the bout between Jorge Arce and Hussein Hussein for the WBC flyweight title.
Glendale’s Vanes Martirosyan (4-0, 1 KO), a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic team, landed at will against Gerardo Prieto of Mexico City, but he had to settle for a unanimous decision in a six-round super-welterweight bout.
Bantamweight prospect Rey Bautista, a 19-year-old trainer Freddie Roach has dubbed “the next superstar from the Philippines,” had an impressive outing.
Bautista (15-0, 12 KOs), who has been living in Foothill Ranch the past few months while training for the fight, needed one right cross to knock out Felix Flores (13-5-1, 11 KOs) of Valledupar, Colombia, at 1:12 of the third round.
