Brian Viloria?s ninth round technical knockout victory over Mexican Omar Nino Romero on Saturday did not only put an end to their three-fight rivalry, it also solidified the country?s hold on the flyweight or 112-pound division.
The flyweight division, which crowned its first world champion on April 11, 1913, when Englishman Sid Smith decisioned Eugene Criqui in 20 rounds, is a virtual repository of some of the greatest Filipinos ever to lace on the gloves. The Philippines produced its first world boxing champion in the flyweight class on June 18, 1923, when Pancho Villa stopped Briton Jimmy Wilde in seven rounds before an overflow crowd at the Polo Grounds in New York. Villa held the crown until his untimely death in July 1925.
After Villa, other Filipinos who have held a piece of the flyweight tiara are Small Montana (1935), Little Dado (1938), Dado Marino (1950), Bernabe Villacampo (1969), Erbito Salavarria (1970; 1975), Frank Cedeno (1983), Dodie Pe?alosa (1987), Rolando Bohol (1988), Manny Pacquiao (1998), Malcolm Tunacao (2000) and Nonito Donaire, Jr. (2007).
Donaire?s five-round demolition of Vic Darchinyan in July 2007 for the International Boxing Federation?s (IBF) flyweight crown ended the country?s six year title drought in the weight class. After three successful defenses, Donaire vacated the crown in 2009 to move up to the super bantamweight division (115 pounds).
However, just two years later, the country made a rip-roaring return to the 112-pound category. On July 7, 2011, Viloria, a former light flyweight (108 pounds) champ, ascended to the World Boxing Organization (WBO) flyweight throne with a hard-earned 12-round decision over Mexican Julio Cesar Miranda.Eight months later, March 2, 2012, journeyman Sonny Boy Jaro hammered dominant Thai champion Pongsalek Wonjongkam in six rounds to collar the World Boxing Council (WBC) flyweight championship.
Hard-hitting Rodel Mayol was poised to become the country?s third reigning flyweight champion in March but the Mandaue native withdrew from his showdown with World Boxing Association (WBA) flyweight titlist Hernan ?Tyson? Marquez minute amid suspicions that the Mexican did not really meet the stipulated weight of 112 pounds. Marquez needed several trips to the scales to make the weight, prompting Mayol?s camp to suspect that the weigh-in was rigged to favor the WBA champ.
As things stand, Viloria and Jaro are firmly entrenched on the flyweight thrones. There are four generally recognized organizations in boxing (WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO) and the Philippines owns the flyweight belts in two of them (WBO, WBC).
The 31-year-old Viloria is enjoying a career-revival in the division some two years after his harrowing loss to Carlos Tamara. He has posted two defenses of the flyweight belt, stopping fearsome Mexican puncher Giovani Segura in eight rounds in December and halting Romero in his most recent outing. Romero, who beat Viloria and held him to a No Contest in 2006, was repeatedly rocked by Viloria in their third meeting. The Mexican resembled a tipsy sailor in the ninth stanza, prompting referee Michael Ortega to intervene and stop the contest at the 2:07 mark.
Viloria, 31-3, with 18 knockouts, has expressed interest in unifying the flyweight crown by taking on WBA counterpart Marquez. For his part, Jaro (34-10, 24 knockouts) is booked to make his initial defense of the WBC title on July 16 in Saitama, Japan, against highly-regarded Japanese challenger Toshiyuki Igarashi.
Viloria and Jaro are both determined to keep their flyweight titles. These fly kings definitely have no plans of being mere fly by night champions.
