[ BOXING ]
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brian Viloria landed a right hook during his bout against Juan Alfonso Keb-Baas last night in Uncasville, Conn.
Viloria still perfect
The Waipahu boxer wins
a unanimous, 12-round decision
vs. Juan Alfonso Keb-Baas
Waipahu flyweight Brian Viloria's fight for a new promoter went a lot like his past year: a whole lot of standing around waiting for something to happen, followed by the inactivity that comes with wondering what to do when it actually does.
Viloria successfully defended his North American Boxing Federation title with a unanimous decision over Juan Alfonso Keb-Baas in the main event of ESPN2's Friday Night Fights last night in Uncasville, Conn.
All three judges rewarded Viloria for a pair of knockdowns in the eighth round by scoring the 12-round fight 119-107 in favor of Viloria.
Viloria was fighting for the first time since July 22 because of a split with promoter Lou Dibella. His return fight was supposed to be the showcase that would allow him to sign with a new one, specifically Sugar Ray Leonard Boxing.
"There was never a question that he is a world-class fighter," said Bjorn Rebney, president of Sugar Ray Leonard's company. "If the opportunity is there to sign him we will sign him. In terms of today's marketplace, there isn't another fighter at his weight who is capturing the imagination like he is. The guy can breathe life into the weight class and become the kind of signature the heavyweight class seems to always have."
Viloria was cautious through the first seven rounds, landing 137 punches to Keb-Baas' 54 before exploding in the eighth.
"I just wanted to feel him out, it was obvious he respected me," Viloria said. "I just got tired of staring at him and had to commit."
Just six minutes after Freddie Roach, who trains Viloria in Los Angeles, told an ESPN audience that "winning is not enough any more," Viloria (14-0, 8 KOs) snapped Keb-Baas' head back with a right hand, followed it with another and floored him with a left.
Keb-Baas (30-10-2, 20 KOs) went down again 30 seconds later at the end of the eighth round, and spent the break between rounds seeming to beg the ring physician to allow him to continue.
Like Wile E. Coyote chasing the Roadrunner, once Viloria caught Keb-Baas he didn't seem to know what to do with him.
"He was just a tough, tough fighter," Viloria said. "When he came back I knew fighters get really dangerous after a knockdown, so I wanted to keep him under control."
Keb-Baas went on to win the ninth round from Viloria and fought him even the rest of the way. Viloria tried to make something happen in the middle of the 12th by planting his back to the corner and motioning Keb-Baas to come and get him.
The Mexican took the bait twice, only to have Viloria counterpunch his way back to the safety of the middle of the ring.
"I just wanted to get a rise out of the crowd," Viloria said.
Viloria certainly got a rise out of Leonard's people, who have had a deal on the table for weeks now and talked after the fight of flying to Hawaii to sign the 23-year-old.
"We are very close; we have been in discussion for a couple of months," Rebney said. "We would like to sign him relatively soon and see a contract in place when Ray (Leonard) and I would come to Hawaii and meet all of the people in Hawaii who seem to love him."
Viloria is surrounded by people who will save their criticism for later, allowing him to bask in the glow of his still-perfect record and successful show on cable television. Viloria, though, already has an idea of what they will tell him and what he needs to work on when he gets back to Roach's Wild Card Gym.
He was happy to get a full 12 rounds in after fighting only 11 rounds in the past year, 10 of them against Valentin Leon at the Sheraton Waikiki last April. It was the fourth time Viloria has gone 12 rounds in his young career.
"I didn't feel too sharp, but once I got settled down I was alright," Viloria said. "I'll be back and take any fight that comes my way. It wasn't a bad fight considering the layoff and being matched up with a tough opponent."
