Viloria set for WBO flyweight challenge

Photo by AP

MANILA, Philippines – Former two-time world light flyweight champion Brian Viloria challenges WBO flyweight king Julio Cesar Miranda of Mexico for his title on July 16 at the Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Hall-of-Fame referee Joe Cortez has been named by WBO president Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel as the referee of the title fight, which is the first for the Fil-American Viloria in the 112-lb division.

Other officials named for the bout are judges Robert Byrd, Ruben Garcia and the Philippines’ Danrex Tapdasan.

Leon Panoncillo, WBO vice president for the Asia Pacific region, will be the fight supervisor.

Viloria has been training both in the Maywood Gym in California and recently at the Kalihi Gym in Honolulu for his showdown with Miranda (35-5-1 with 28 KOs).

The 30-year-old Viloria (28-3 with 16 KOs) won the WBC light flyweight title with a sensational first round knockout of Eric Ortiz on September 2005 but subsequently lost the title to Omar Nino Romero.

Viloria then went after the IBF title which he won with a spectacular 11th round knockout of the highly fancied champion Ulises Solis of Mexico on April 19, 2009.

After losing the IBF crown by a 12th round TKO to Carlos Tamara of Panama, Viloria moved up in weight and

scored back-to-back victories that put him in line for the title shot.

He first won a 10-round split decision over Omar Soto on July 10, 2010 and then scored a seventh round TKO over Thailand’s Liempetch Sor Veerapol on November 5, 2010.