ASSOCIATED PRESS Brian Viloria, above, celebrated after knocking out Eric Ortiz yesterday in Los Angeles. Viloria improved to 18-0 (12 KOs).

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The Champ

Brian Viloria captures
the WBC light flyweight title
with a first-round KO

LOS ANGELES -- Hawaii's Brian Viloria knocked out Eric Ortiz in the first round yesterday to win the World Boxing Council light flyweight championship at Staples Center.

Viloria was fighting for the first time since May, when Ruben Contreras quit in the sixth round and had a seizure soon after. Contreras accepted Viloria's invitation to attend yesterday's fight and sat ringside.

Viloria and Ortiz, the defending champion from Mexico City, had a few brief exchanges in the first round, but neither was especially aggressive and both looked to be settling in for a long fight.

But Viloria connected with a pair of right hands and floored Ortiz in the final second. Ortiz did not get up until well after the bell.

"Everything just happened so quickly," Viloria said. "The fight with Contreras lit a fire inside of me. I dedicate this fight to Ruben Contreras."

In their May 28th bout, Contreras quit, complaining of a headache. He had a seizure less than 10 minutes later and needed surgery to stop a hemorrhage around his brain. The 32-year-old flyweight from Caudal Juarez, Mexico, was in a weeks-long coma but has made significant progress.

He and Viloria embraced one another and posed for pictures after the fight.

The 24-year-old Viloria improved to 18-0 with 12 knockouts, and Ortiz dropped to 24-5-1 with 16 KOs. Both fighters weighed 108 pounds.