WILL VILORIA?S WINNING STREAK VS. MEXICAN FIGHTERS CONTINUE?
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 04 Apr 2013
MACAU ? WBO/WBA flyweight champion Brian ?The Hawaiian Punch? Viloria (32W-3L, 19 KO?s)and Mexican challenger Juan Francisco ?El Gallo? Estrada (22W-2L, 18 KO?s) sized each other up and had a rather civil exchange of pre-fight statements during the final press conference Thursday at the Venetian Macau Resort Hotel for the fight card billed as ?FISTS OF GOLD? which will be held on April 6 at the Cotai Arena.
Promoter Fernando Beltran of Zanfer Promotions said that 112 lbs is Estrada?s best weight and that he will show that he is the best 112 lb fighter in the world.
Estrada?s manager Juan Hernandez added that ?We are here to prove a point. I hope after this fight the world will realize that we have a special fighter in Estrada.?
?I feel very good, better than when I fought Roman Gonzales,? Estrada said referring to his WBA light flyweight title loss last year, ?Four pounds was a big difference, I had to go down to 108, now I feel better at 112 lbs.
Team Estrada talked about Viloria?s reputation as a ?Mexican assassin? after beating the likes of Julio Cesar Miranda, Giovani Segura, Omar Nino Romero and Hernan ?Tyson? Marquez and they vowed to reverse the trend.
Viloria?s manager Gary Gittelsohn countered by saying that on the day of the fight the world will see that Viloria is one of the best flyweights in history.
?I beg to differ with what Estrada said,? a confident Viloria spoke calmly before the packed ballroom, ?A couple of years ago I was down, people said I was through. But after a string of wins against tough Mexican fighters, I thanked God I stuck to the sport. I continued training and believing that I could win another championship.?
Gittelsohn also thanked the Philippine press for supporting Viloria. He spoke about Macau becoming the next boxing capital of world. Top rank CEO Bob Arum and WBO VP for Asia-Pacific Leon Panoncillo also spoke about this historic first world title bout set here in Macau and the first major WBO world championship event in China.
This fight card will showcase the professional debut of China?s two time Olympic gold medalist Zou Shiming, who will face Eleazar Valenzuela of Mexico in a four rounder and will also feature the WBO superfeatherweight title match between champion Roman ?Rocky? Martinez of Puerto Rico and challenger Diego Magdaleno of the U.S.. The HBO TV crew will be composed of Tim Ryan, Larry Merchant and heavyweight great George Foreman.
(PHOTO- BRIAN VILORIA (LEFT) AND JUAN ESTRADA)
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rene Bonsubre, Jr..
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