Viloria ready to defend WBO title
BRIAN Viloria is now in town, ready and in shape to defend his World Boxing Organization (WBO) flyweight crown against dangerous Giovanni Segura of Mexico Sunday next week.
Viloria, 31, brought with him two months of hard training, including 120 rounds of sparring, in preparing himself for the first defense of the title he won with a unanimous decision over Julio Cesar Miranda last July in Hawaii.
“I’m in perfect shape right now. So great to be back and get ready for this fight,” said Viloria, dubbed the `Hawaiian Punch’, just hours after arriving in the country Saturday afternoon following a 13-hour flight from Los Angeles, where he held training camp for the 12-round fight.
His being in perfect shape is one of the reasons why he doesn’t see Segura living up to his promise that he’ll knock out the reigning champion wrest his title belt.
The 29-year-old Segura, owner of a fearsome 28-1 record, including 24 KOs, arrived here as early as Thursday, and readily made known his intention to destroy Viloria (29-3, 16 KOs) before an expected full-house crowd at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
“Brian, I am going to knock you out. I am saying that with confidence,” said the Mexican, the only fighter to beat the great Puerto Rican champion Ivan Calderon not just once, but twice.
Viloria, born in Waipahu, Hawaii, did acknowledge Segura is a deadly opponent, who knows nothing but to move forward.
“He (Segura) wants to exchange a lot, he throws a lot of punches, and wants to bang it up,” said Viloria, the former International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Council (WBC) light-flyweight champion.
But the 2000 Sydney Olympian is ready whatever Segura brings with him to the ring.
“I push myself hard to train for this fight. I have to be in shape 10 times for this fight than I was when I fought Miranda,” he said.
Segura is a two-time world champion who once held the IBF and WBO light-flyweight crowns.
http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php/sports/18836-viloria-ready-to-defend-wbo-title