Bryan “The Hawaiian-Pinoy Punch” Viloria will put his WBC light flyweight belt at stake today against the former WBC mini-flyweight king Jose Antonio “El Jaguar” Aguirre in his first title defense at the Aladdin Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The undefeated Viloria (18-0, 12 KOs), who won the title over Eric Ortiz last September, and the former champion Aguirre (33-4-1, 20 KOs) of Tabasco, Mexico, will fight underneath the Antonio Margarito versus Manuel Gomez main event in the “Real Warriors” promotion of Top Rank.
Margarito will defend his WBO welterweight title.
Two losses
Aguirre is coming off from two loses, including his recent defeat to WBA 108-pound champion Roberto Vazquez. The other was against Ortiz, who lasted only one round against Viloria.
“I want to thank Brian Viloria and Bob Arum for giving me another shot at a title. This time I’m walking out of the ring with a belt,” said Aguirre during the pre-fight press conference yesterday.
Viloria is just as confident of keeping the WBC 108lb title.
“Winning a title is hard, but holding on to that title is harder,” said Viloria. “I know my opponent is really ready for this fight. I know he’s trained hard but I want him to know that I’m not going to let my belt go that easy. I love it too much to let it go right now.”
Viloria trained at the famed Wildcard Gym in Los Angeles under the close watch of Freddie Roach and Justin Fortune.
“I’m even better prepared than when I fought Ortiz. I sparred a lot more and with a lot better sparring partners this time,” said Viloria, who will carry two flags on his way to the ring – the Philippines and the US.
The referee of the fight is Tony Weeks, while Ray Hawkins, CJ Ross and Glenn Trowbridge, all of Nevada, are the ringside judges.
