It was expected to be a candidate for fight of the year, but few expected that they would be witnessing a contender for the upset of the year.
Brian “The Hawaiian Punch” Viloria, making the first defense of his WBO Flyweight title, pulled
off the biggest victory of his career Sunday afternoon, stopping pound for pound elite Giovani Segura of Mexico in the eighth round of their fight at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
The end came at the :29 second mark when referee Samuel Viruet deemed that a grotesque hematoma on the right side of Segura's face — the product of Viloria's accuracy with the left hook — left the Mexican challenger unable to defend himself.
At the start, Segura, who once had been Viloria's sparring partner, appeared ready for the Filipino boxer’s traditional money punch right cross, but apparently not for his left hook.
Sweetest victory
"This is the sweetest victory," said Viloria, now 30-3 (17 KO) of Waipahu, Hawaii. "More than the (Ulises) Solis fight, more than the (Julio Cesar) Miranda fight."
Viloria was noticeably vigilant throughout the fight. "He (Segura) has some heavy hands," he said. "I understand why he knocked out 24 of his 29 opponents."
Segura of Bell, California, who now stands at 28-2 (24 KO), was heavily-favored by most in the media heading into the bout, due in part to his number nine ranking on RING Magazine's pound for pound list, which he earned for his two knockout victories over modern ring legend Ivan Calderon.
After a competitive opening round, Viloria, 31, found his mark with the left hook in the second round, creating a hematoma on the right side of the 29-year-old Segura's head. The swelling was reminiscent of the bizarre growth on Hasim Rahman's head that halted his bout with Evander Holyfield in 2002.
By the fifth round, the hematoma had grown to obscure Segura's vision.
Mighty left hooks
Viloria continued to push his advantage, landing repeatedly with the left hook and mixing in body shots against an increasingly fatigued Segura. The referee appeared to give Segura one last chance to pull out the victory, second-guessing his initial instinct to halt the bout after the seventh, but quickly reverting back once he saw that Segura was compromised in the eighth.
Speaking at the post-fight press conference, Viloria's manager, Gary Gittelsohn, cited fellow flyweight titlists Pongsaklek Wongjongkam and Hernan "Tyson" Marquez as possible next contenders for Viloria, as well as Ivan Calderon, who was Viloria's chief rival in the amateurs.
Unbeaten Filipino flyweight contender Milan Melindo of Cebu was on hand at the post-fight press conference, both to lend support to his countryman and scout a possible future opponent.
Underdog
Viloria said before the fight that he relished the underdog role, just as he had prior to winning his second world title at 108 pounds in 2009 against Ulises Solis, whom he knocked out in the eleventh.
For Viloria, an Olympic representative for the United States in 2000, the victory was vindication for all of his past disappointments, including his unexpected TKO loss to Carlos Tamara last year, which had many calling for his retirement.
While both men felt that their history as sparring partners would give them the advantage, in the end Viloria outsmarted boxing aficionados.
"I told everyone I was going to run," said a laughing Viloria. "I faked everyone out."
Brian “The Hawaiian Punch” Viloria, making the first defense of his WBO Flyweight title, pulled
off the biggest victory of his career Sunday afternoon, stopping pound for pound elite Giovani Segura of Mexico in the eighth round of their fight at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
The end came at the :29 second mark when referee Samuel Viruet deemed that a grotesque hematoma on the right side of Segura's face — the product of Viloria's accuracy with the left hook — left the Mexican challenger unable to defend himself.
At the start, Segura, who once had been Viloria's sparring partner, appeared ready for the Filipino boxer’s traditional money punch right cross, but apparently not for his left hook.
Sweetest victory
"This is the sweetest victory," said Viloria, now 30-3 (17 KO) of Waipahu, Hawaii. "More than the (Ulises) Solis fight, more than the (Julio Cesar) Miranda fight."
Viloria was noticeably vigilant throughout the fight. "He (Segura) has some heavy hands," he said. "I understand why he knocked out 24 of his 29 opponents."
Segura of Bell, California, who now stands at 28-2 (24 KO), was heavily-favored by most in the media heading into the bout, due in part to his number nine ranking on RING Magazine's pound for pound list, which he earned for his two knockout victories over modern ring legend Ivan Calderon.
After a competitive opening round, Viloria, 31, found his mark with the left hook in the second round, creating a hematoma on the right side of the 29-year-old Segura's head. The swelling was reminiscent of the bizarre growth on Hasim Rahman's head that halted his bout with Evander Holyfield in 2002.
By the fifth round, the hematoma had grown to obscure Segura's vision.
Mighty left hooks
Viloria continued to push his advantage, landing repeatedly with the left hook and mixing in body shots against an increasingly fatigued Segura. The referee appeared to give Segura one last chance to pull out the victory, second-guessing his initial instinct to halt the bout after the seventh, but quickly reverting back once he saw that Segura was compromised in the eighth.
Speaking at the post-fight press conference, Viloria's manager, Gary Gittelsohn, cited fellow flyweight titlists Pongsaklek Wongjongkam and Hernan "Tyson" Marquez as possible next contenders for Viloria, as well as Ivan Calderon, who was Viloria's chief rival in the amateurs.
Unbeaten Filipino flyweight contender Milan Melindo of Cebu was on hand at the post-fight press conference, both to lend support to his countryman and scout a possible future opponent.
Underdog
Viloria said before the fight that he relished the underdog role, just as he had prior to winning his second world title at 108 pounds in 2009 against Ulises Solis, whom he knocked out in the eleventh.
For Viloria, an Olympic representative for the United States in 2000, the victory was vindication for all of his past disappointments, including his unexpected TKO loss to Carlos Tamara last year, which had many calling for his retirement.
While both men felt that their history as sparring partners would give them the advantage, in the end Viloria outsmarted boxing aficionados.
"I told everyone I was going to run," said a laughing Viloria. "I faked everyone out."
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