Tuesday, May 8, 2001
Viloria faces veteran If anybody thought Brian Viloria's professional debut would be a walk around the ring, they should reconsider.
in first pro bout
Escobia, of the Philippines,
By Paul Arnett
presents a tough challenge
Star-BulletinThe U.S. Olympic boxer from Waipahu will face veteran Ben Jun Escobia of the Philippines in next Tuesday's scheduled four-round bout that begins at 3 p.m. at the Hawaii Convention Center.
It will be part of a proposed five-fight card headlined by Jesus Salud. The Hawaii State Boxing Commission meets this afternoon to finalize the Tom Moffatt-promoted event that will be televised nationally on ESPN (blacked out locally).
"I'm very excited about returning to Hawaii to begin my professional career," Viloria said last night in a phone call from Los Angeles.
He will likely return to the 50th state on Thursday with trainer Freddie Roach.
"This is going to be a good match for me," Viloria said. "Having my first pro fight in Hawaii with Jesus Salud as the main event is something I've dreamed about. I feel like I'm ready to take this next step."
Escobia has fought 29 bouts, winning 13 of them. His most recent ring appearance was on April 29 against well-respected Ivan Calderon. Escobia lost a four-round decision in the 104-pound bout.
Viloria manager Gary Gittelsohn said Calderon was perfect for his fighter. ESPN didn't want a walk-over for its opening Tuesday Night Fights series. And in Gittelsohn's mind, the network didn't.
"He's a very good fighter that Brian won't have to chase around the ring," Gittelsohn said yesterday. "We wanted an exciting match. This guy will stand in there and trade punches.
"He's a dangerous fighter because of his experience. I think it's fabulous Hawaii is where Brian's pro career begins. Having Jesus on the card makes it even more special for Brian, who has trained hard for this fight. He has been looking forward to this for a long time."
The 30-year-old Escobia has eight 10-round bouts to his credit. He doesn't pack a lot of power -- he has only five knockouts -- but his ring savvy is what Viloria will have to respect.
"I've been watching his tape a whole lot today," Viloria said. "He's a decent boxer. He has a lot of experience. He fought Ivan Calderon, who I fought as an amateur. Ivan was on the Olympic team for Puerto Rico. And he (Escobia) stayed in there with him. So he's tough."
Salud will have a tough match of his own. His scheduled 10-round junior featherweight fight with Fernando "Bobby Boy" Velardez is the main event.
Salud, who is 62-10 with 37 knockouts, recently suffered a sixth-round TKO at the hands of World Boxing Organization champion Marco Antonio Barrera.
The former Nanakuli resident said his love of the game keeps bringing him back to the ring. "This will be a tough match for me," Salud said of Velardez, who is 17-4-1 with four KOs. "I'm still ranked, I feel very good. It's great to be on the same card as Brian. I know he's going to be a world champion some day."
Other fights on the card are: Jose Navarro vs. Carlos Zambrano (six rounds, junior bantamweight); Ann Wolfe vs. Vienna Williams (10-rounds, junior middleweight); and John Lopez vs. Anthony Simpkins (eight rounds, junior welterweight).