Viloria, Mayol fight highlights

SINGAPORE –Brian “The Hawaiian Punch” Viloria (31-3, 18KO) and Omar Nino Romero (31-5-2, 13KO) gave Filipino fight fans and everyone watching on Pay-Per-View, 9 hard fought rounds.

In the end, it was Brian Viloria coming away with a TKO victory, finally posting a win over his tough-as-nails Mexican rival.

It was an emotional victory for Brian Viloria, who failed in two previous attempts to beat Romero back when they fought in Las Vegas. Ironically, it was Romero who gave Viloria the first loss of his career and sent him on a downward spiral from that point on.

Now in front of a jam-packed Ynares Sports Arena crowd, Brian Viloria exacted revenge on his long-time arch nemesis.

It started out as a tactical fight, with Viloria feeling out Romero in the opening rounds.

At first, it looked as if ghosts of Viloria-Romero 1 and 2 were rearing its ugly head with Viloria a bit tentative to throw combinations against Romero’s awkward in-and-out style.

“His in-and-out movement was very awkward. It kind of threw my punches off a little bit,” said Viloria in the post-fight interview.

But by the start of the 3rd round, Viloria had figured out Romero’s timing and started to put his punches together.

In round 4, Viloria stunned Romero with a devastating right hand that sent the Mexican reeling into the ropes. Romero tried desperately to survive the round.

In the 5th, Viloria continued his aggressiveness and was beginning to take control of the fight. Clearly bothered by Viloria’s power, Romero resorted to some dirty boxing and was subsequently deducted a point for repeated low blows.

Romero never stopped his pressure and his body attack and at times, would slow Viloria down and keep him at bay with a stiff left jab. But Viloria’s power would prove to be too much for Romero to handle at this stage in their careers.

It was evident how much Brian Viloria had changed. He no longer looked for that “one shot” to win it all.

Against Romero, Viloria fought a controlled, intelligent and patient fight and in the end it paid dividends.

Round 9 saw Brian Viloria landing a thunderous right hand which staggered Romero and sent him scrambling to the ropes. Viloria stalked him and landed another huge right hand to seal the deal.

On wobbly legs, Romero was completely defenceless as the referee stepped in to prevent anymore punishment. Romero’s corner also jumped in to save their fighter.

“This [the win] took out a lot of doubts in my head” said Viloria, who can at last put this rivalry behind him.

With a newfound confidence and a better-paced style, Viloria is now primed and ready to make his return to the big stage – but not without giving Filipino fight fans a parting gift.

They say revenge is a dish best served cold. Well, Brian Viloria’s chilling right hands proved to be the difference in the fight.

Finally, Brian Viloria had his vengeance.

Rodel Mayol still has it

Earlier, Rodel “Batang Mandaue” Mayol (30-5-2, 22KO) put on a boxing clinic against Julio Cesar “Pingo” Miranda of Mexico (37-6-1, 29KO).

The 10-round bout served as the co-main event feature for “Island Assault 4: The Battle, Viloria-Romero 3”.

Mayol’s boxing skills and speed were too much for the hard charging and durable Mexican, who took Mayol’s best punches but never quit. It was an amazing fight from start to finish as both fighters looked to spark fireworks.

Certainly boxing at its finest — the fight was a complex dance of violence, with Mayol playing the matador to Miranda’s bull. From the first round to the last, it was evident that Mayol was leagues ahead of “Pingo” Miranda in terms of pure skill.

No one expected Mayol to have the edge in power too.

Mayol landed the left hook almost seemingly at will, and Miranda had absolutely no answer for it.

In Round 1, Mayol timed Miranda beautifully with a textbook left hook to the temple which dropped Miranda for the count.

Round 2 saw similar results, this time with a double left uppercut to drop Miranda for a mandatory 8-count.

Not surprising was Mayol’s awesome ring generalship, as he consistently spun Miranda like a top, getting out of harm’s way effectively after every combination.

Mayol looked razor sharp in this fight, showcasing his world-class boxing ability.

In round 5, Mayol started out very quickly and dropped Miranda again for the 3rd time. Mayol caught Miranda with a left to the body and stopped the Mexican in his tracks.

Mayol then followed it up with a flurry to once again drop Miranda for the second time in the round. Mayol seemed on his way to total domination at this point, as every punch he threw hit the target.

To Miranda’s credit, he stood his ground with authority, even having some good moments of his own while boxing on the inside. Miranda showed the world his Mexican warrior heart and never backed down.

But Rodel Mayol was too much for Miranda to handle. Mayol battered Miranda from start to finish, posting lopsided scores of 100-87, 99-88 and 97-91 to win by Unanimous Decision.

This boxing analyst scored the bout 97-90 in favor of Rodel “Batang Mandaue” Mayol. – Rappler.com

Click on the links below for more. 

• Viloria, Romero ready for boxing classic
• Sweet revenge: Viloria knocks out Romero
• Viloria seeks redemption in third fight vs archrival Romero
• Elorde awards celebrate best Pinoy boxers