KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM Waipahu boxer Brian Viloria worked out recently in preparation for Tuesday's fight.

Viloria tries to
resurrect boxing

The Waipahu fighter says he
wants the sport to be as big
as it used to be in Hawaii

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By Jerry Campany
jcampany@starbulletin.com

There is something about scaling Mount Olympus that makes a man believe that anything is possible, including pumping life back into the dead.

When Waipahu flyweight and 2000 Olympian Brian Viloria turned professional two years ago, he wanted to revive boxing in his home state, get the game back to where it was when the sport was healthy enough for Larry Holmes and Thomas Hearns to book fights here.

"Boxing is dead in Hawaii, but not buried," World Boxing Council vice president and Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame member Bobby Lee said. "Hopefully Brian Viloria is the one to bring it back."

Lee is not the only one to heap such high expectations on the 22-year-old, only the most accomplished. Veteran fight fans across the state remind him of his responsibility every time they have his ear, but it is old news to the relatively new professional. He took the task on his shoulders long before any of them began searching for a boy to lead them out of the wilderness.

"I knew that in order for boxing to grow in Hawaii, I would have to be a part of it," Viloria said. "I have some big shoes to fill and it won't be easy, but I thrive on challenges. After reaching the world's greatest stage (the 2000 Olympics) and some of the other experiences I've had, it gave me the confidence to think in terms greater than myself."

Viloria (11-0, 6 KOs), who will take on Mexico's Valentin Leon (14-5, 6 KOs) in the main event of a card at the Sheraton Waikiki on Tuesday, started down the road to Hawaii's redemption when he signed his first professional contract with DiBella Entertainment two years ago. He would only sign with a company that could guarantee a fight in his home state at least once every year, a stipulation that manager Gary Gittelsohn believes no other boxer in the fight game has either asked for or received.

Viloria didn't demand a week under blue skies for his own benefit. His time in Hawaii is spent shuttling between press conferences and his hotel room in Waikiki, with little contact with friends and family. His only free time is spent working out and building up walls to shut out distractions. He wanted to do his part to send Hawaii back in time to his childhood, when the stars seemed larger than life and every show was fought before a packed house.

"It makes a lot of sense to come home every year," Viloria said. "I would like to reunite boxing now with the way it was in the '70s and '80s, when people used to pack the Blaisdell and jump through the water just to get in. There are a lot of fight fans here. I just have to get them coming back out."

But 11 fights into his career, Viloria needs Hawaii as much as the state needs him. The boy wonder with thunder in his right hand has not had a clean shot at an opponent in 39 rounds, winning his fights but failing to impress the television executives who pay for the excitement of seeing a man removed from his senses. Those around him hope that fighting in Waikiki will get him back to his destructive ways.

"It is inspiring every time Brian comes home," Gittelsohn said. "It gives him a jolt of hometown confidence that he needs now. It helps him to dedicate himself to training where he's not as comfortable."

Viloria echoes that sentiment. He says that his training turns more intense from the minute a date in Hawaii is set. Jesus Salud, who lost only once in front of his hometown crowd -- at the tail end of his career when Viloria made his pro debut -- says that he is the same way. People can talk all about referees being swayed by a partisan crowd or a fighter being comfortable in his surroundings, but fighters say the advantage is strictly mental.

"The feeling of fighting in your hometown makes you more focused, even in training," Salud said. "It is incredible, makes you feel invincible."

Gittelsohn wants to send Viloria back to Los Angeles refreshed and reinspired so that the next time they hold a card here it will mean even more. Gittelsohn says that his plan on Viloria is right on track, and includes holding a world title fight in Hawaii, televised on HBO or another national network. But he admits that a lot of it depends upon how far Viloria can carry his crusade.

"Brian has the capability of bringing it back," Gittelsohn said. "There is nothing he can't accomplish, especially with the rich history boxing has in Hawaii. There is a lot of talent here, and with Brian leading them the sport can be better here than ever."

Boxing Where: Sheraton Waikiki When: Tuesday Tickets: $75 ringside, $50 reserved, $25 general admission. Available by calling 877-750-4400 or at the Blaisdell Box Office and selected Foodland and Sack-n-Save stores. Main event: Brian Viloria (11-0, 6 KOs), vs. Valentin Leon (14-5, 6 KOs) Undercard >> Eric Alexander (18-7, 13 KOs, Kalihi) vs. Calvin Odom (11-4, 8 KOs, Los Angeles) >> Tali Kulihaapai (8-3, 7 KOs, Honolulu) vs. John Clark (4-2, 4 KOs, Los Angeles) >> Sitafine Talosaga (3-0, Honolulu) vs. David Bihana (2-2, Waimanalo) (pending approval from state boxing commission) >> Jerry Saribay (3-3, 2 KOs, Kalihi) vs. John Lopez (6-6, 3 KOs, Hilo) >> Jay Saribay (no record, Kalihi) vs. Travis Tandel (NR, Kaimuki) >> Rodney Joseph (NR, Waianae) vs. Mark Mariko (NR, Kalihi)