ASSOCIATED PRESS Brian Viloria knocked down Omar Nino twice but their fight was declared a majority draw on Nov. 19 in Las Vegas.

Viloria opponent tests positive

Nevada commission issues complaint against Nino, who allegedly took meth

Ever since his second fight with Omar Nino was declared a draw, Waipahu light flyweight Brian Viloria has been asking himself what he did wrong, why he couldn't knock out the champion when so many of his foes had taken similar shots and folded.

It may not have been anything he did.

"I was hitting him with everything I had and it only seemed like he was getting stronger," Viloria said. "It never entered my mind that he might be cheating because you assume people just train as hard as you do and come in prepared."

Nino tested positive for methamphetamine following his defense of his title on Nov. 18 in Las Vegas.

"Mr. Nino's drug test for his recent title fight with Brian Viloria came up positive for methamphetamine," Nevada Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer said. "We have issued a complaint against Mr. Nino and he has 20 days to respond before a public hearing is conducted."

Kizer said the process for changing the majority draw decision could take months, but that the athletic commission has the power to declare the bout a no contest. If a no contest is declared, the WBC will have to decide what to do with the title. Team Viloria manager Gary Gittelsohn believes there is only one option.

"This champion violated the rules, and the title is going to be taken away from him," Gittelsohn said. "I want the title returned to its rightful owner."

WBC President Jose Sulaiman said that is not going to happen, but Viloria would be first in line to get a shot at the title if it is declared vacant.

"If it is confirmed that Nino's test was positive and done in the correct way, Mr. Viloria was a great champion and we would appoint another highly ranked fighter to fight him for the vacant title," Sulaiman said.

But Sulaiman isn't entirely convinced Nino's drug sample was taken correctly and cautions people to wait until the hearing to make a judgment against the champion.

"The WBC is asking the Nevada commission what the process is in getting the drug sample," Sulaiman said. "The Nevada commission might have a different policy or different rules about taking a sample than the WBC. Right now, we haven't heard a word from the Nevada commission yet."

Even though Nino passed his drug test following his victory over Viloria in August, Gittelsohn hopes that this erases the mark on Viloria's reputation and puts him back on that track toward unifying the light flyweight title. Before defending against Nino in the first fight, Viloria was involved in talks for a big-money fight against Japan's Koki Kameda.

"Brian had this cloak of invincibility and these kids think the only way to beat him is to bend the rules," Gittelsohn said. "I think Brian won the fight easily even with the handicap. The only possible knock on Brian is how he supposedly faded in the late rounds. Well, it turns out that he didn't fade, the kid was on drugs and able to stay away from Brian."

One thing is sure, Nino will not be a part of any unification bout if Viloria's camp has a say.

"I am totally done with him," Viloria said. "I don't think he should get another chance at all. I put him in a great position after our first fight and he just disrespected the sport and threw it all away. It doesn't only make the sport look bad, it makes the world look bad. I believe the organization will make an example of him."