ASSOCIATED PRESS
President Bush, center, delivered opening remarks before the toast for Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo at Monday's State Dinner in the White House. Waipahu boxer Brian Viloria was in attendance.
Viloria rubs elbows
with BushFor a night, the Waipahu boxer
was the "toughest guy in Washington"
For one night, Waipahu flyweight Brian Viloria could count the most powerful person on the planet as his right-hand man.
Viloria was George W. Bush's guest at the President's third state dinner Monday night, sitting directly to his left and across the table from Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
"Mere words don't give it justice," Viloria said in a telephone interview. "I am still believing I dreamed the whole thing.
"Let's just say I made a lot of friends in high places. I have been around celebrities before, but these people shape the history of the world, and I sat down and ate with people my grandchildren will read about in school."
Viloria, 22, who met former President Bill Clinton when the Olympic team visited the White House in 2000, got a whole lot more than he expected in this trip. He got a chance to propose a toast to the crowd of 130 and wrapped up the evening with a dance with 2001 Miss America Angela Perez Baraquio of Mililani, who attended with her husband Tinifuloa Grey. He chose to toast Bush for his role in the war on terrorism, and a picture of it appeared on page C-2 of the Washington Post.
"He worked the room like it was nothing," said Gary Gittelsohn, Viloria's advisor and guest at the dinner. "You've got the President of the United States telling Sandra Day O'Connor that she should see Brian fight and one of the most accomplished women responding by putting up her fists to fight him. (Secretary of Defense) Donald Rumsfeld told Brian, 'I am pretty tough, but tonight you are the toughest guy in Washington.' "
Viloria gave little thought to politics when he met Clinton, but in the three years since, he has grown into a regular viewer of CNN. His thoughts on the war wavered with each newscast, but after meeting some of its key players he says he knows where his responsibilities lie.
"I've been watching the news since Sept. 11. A lot of people believe that just because it isn't in your back yard that terrorism doesn't exist, but it greatly affects what happens to us. I can't just linger in my own little world with things like that going on."
Viloria said he was as comfortable in the State Dining Room as he is in the ring, giving out as many jabs as he received. At one point he offered to help get Vice President Dick Cheney in shape, to the delight of Cheney's wife, Lynne.
"I told him if he is ever in L.A. he should stop by the gym and work out with me," Viloria said. "He has had like 100 heart attacks, so I told him it might probably help his health."
Although Viloria occupied the main table with Bush and Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the guest list included Attorney General John Ashcroft, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, Secretary of State Colin Powell and Rumsfeld.
Viloria came down out of the clouds long enough yesterday to try to clear up the matter between Gittelsohn and the Hawaii State Boxing Commission.
Gittelsohn said last month Viloria will not fight in Hawaii again if referee Abe Pacheco is on the card, due to what Gittelsohn feels is an irresponsible job that Pacheco did in Viloria's last fight, an eighth-round TKO of Valentin Leon at the Sheraton Waikiki ballroom April 15.
"We'll always be coming down to Hawaii to fight," Viloria said. "We are not going to abandon that dream because of one mistake, and Gary has told me that himself. He (Gittelsohn) just wanted to get them on their toes to make the commission better. He is not afraid to stick his neck out when he sees something wrong."
Viloria believes that there is a way to come back without Pacheco working the fight, and he hopes everything will work itself out.
"The commission has my full confidence to do the right thing," Viloria said. "They want me to come back and I want to come back, but I saw the tape and there were some serious mistakes made that have to be addressed."
