Friday, May 25, 2001
[ HAWAII BOXING ]
Viloria gets Local boxer Brian Viloria underwent successful surgery this morning in Los Angeles to repair a broken bone in his right hand that will keep him sidelined for at least 10 weeks.
surgery for a
broken finger
His pinkie was injured
in the Escobia fight
By Paul Arnett
Star-BulletinViloria manager Gary Gittelsohn told the Star-Bulletin this morning that Viloria complained of soreness in his hand yesterday during a shadowboxing session. He thought it was a bruise, but it turned out his pinkie finger was broken between the knuckle and wrist.
""We went to the doctor right away on Thursday,'' Gittelsohn said. ""It's a minor fracture that happened during the fight with Ben Jun Escobia. We were getting ready for the ESPN card on June 19.
""He told me his hand was a little sore, but he thought it was just a bruise. Normally, you would just put it in a splint, but considering Brian's line of work, we decided it was best to have surgery because of the nature of the injury.''
Los Angeles surgeon David A. Kulher told Viloria that he inserted pins in his hand to make sure the bone healed properly. He told the 20-year-old U.S. Olympic boxer that he expected him to have a complete recovery.
""It was wonderful news,'' Gittelsohn said. ""I wish Brian had said something about it sooner, but he's still a kid. He didn't know how serious it was. Believe me, after the fight it looked bad. But once we put it on ice, the swelling went way down.''
Viloria began his professional career here with a four-round unanimous decision over Escobia. Twice he knocked the 30-year-old boxer to the canvas. Nearly 500,000 people watched the fight on ESPN2, prompting the network to sign Viloria to another deal.
The fight was proposed for June 19. Had Gittelsohn not been able to get that fight in place, it was believed Viloria would be on the undercard of the Oscar De La Hoya championship bout in Las Vegas on June 23.
""Right now, Brian is resting comfortably here at my home,'' Gittelsohn said. ""We'll know more in a couple of months or so, but Brian should be back in the ring by the end of the summer. It's a big blow, obviously. But it's not as bad as it could have been.''