WORLD BOXING Council light flyweight champion Brian Viloria has been dreaming big even before his sensational first-round knockout of erstwhile titlist Erik Ortiz of Mexico last Sept. 10 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
“I’m trying to get as much attention as I could in my division because my goal is to make more people take a second look at our division. I want to be able to fight as a main attraction and also be a pound-for-pound world champion,” the Filipino-American from Narvacan, Ilocos Sur bared in yesterday’s SCOOP sa Kamayan forum.
Viloria added that he is aware that big-money fights and even bigger media attention have been given to heavier divisions, but now that he has the crown to boast of, the 24-year-old Hawaii-raised puncher is looking forward to prolonging his stay on top.
That’s why Viloria, who hiked his professional ring record to 18-0-0 (12 knockouts), said he continues to watch the various fighting styles of former middleweight champion Sugar Ray Leonard and heavyweight boxing icons like Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, among others, in order to improve.
“I like watching different styles. I like to compare my punching power with Mike Tyson and see how I could improve on it. I also try to adopt the footwork of Sugar Ray Leonard,” he said.
At this point, Viloria said he is looking forward to a possible title bout with WBC flyweight champion Jorge Arce, who’ll be staking his crown against Hussien Hussein at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas on Oct. 8.
“It would be interesting to see how Arce performs. Jorge is a very durable fighter, and has got the heart of a lion,” he said.
In the event Arce retains the crown, the Fil-Am called “Hawaiian Punch” could be facing the Mexican champion in the 112-pound division on Jan. 21, the day Manny Pacquiao faces Erik Morales in a rematch.
As he awaits the bright future ahead of him, Viloria said he’d continue to “work hard and dedicate himself to the sport because there is surely no shortcut to success.”
