[ BOXING ]
Viloria to train
with TysonThe Waipahu flyweight fights
June 4 in Arizona
Fight fans who compare Brian Viloria to Mike Tyson will get to see the two side-by-side.
Viloria, the flyweight from Waipahu, whose nicknames are listed as "Tiny Tyson" and "Hawaiian Punch," will train with the former heavyweight champion beginning May 23 in Arizona.
Viloria will fight Gilberto Keb Baas of Mexico on ESPN2's Friday Night Fights on June 4 at the Desert Diamond Casino in Tucson, Ariz. If Keb Baas's name sounds familiar, it is because Viloria was supposed to fight him in his last bout in February. Viloria ended up beating Juan Alfonso Keb Baas, Gilberto's younger brother, when Gilberto could not get a proper visa.
"I think I am getting the brother," said Viloria, who punished Juan Alfonso but couldn't put him away. "He is going to be just as tough, but it doesn't matter to me. I'll be prepared no matter who I fight."
Gilberto Keb Baas is 22-10-1 with 14 KOs but has only fought outside of Mexico four times. He has lost two of his last three fights, but like Juan Alfonso, has proved hard to knock to the canvas, being stopped only once.
Viloria is 14-0 with eight KOs and ranked fourth among flyweights by the World Boxing Council.
Viloria is still negotiating with Sugar Ray Leonard Boxing for a promotional contract, a situation Leonard Boxing CEO Bjorn Rebney says is "going positively." Friday Night Fights is a Ray Leonard show, as was Viloria's last bout.
Viloria said training alongside Tyson won't distract him.
When Tyson hired trainer Freddie Roach to prepare him for a July 31 fight against Kevin McBride, Roach decided to bring along Viloria. Tyson trained under Roach last year, forcing the trainer away from Viloria. Because of the proximity of the fight, it won't happen this time.
"It just makes a lot more sense," Viloria said. "I really don't know what to expect, but I will be too busy preparing for my fight to see anything anyway."