Roman Gonzalez (left) and Brian Viloria (right) make weight (Photo : FightNews.com)
NEW YORK -- They say second chances are golden opportunities.
For Brian "The Hawaiian Punch" Viloria (36-4, 22 KO's), a fight against newly minted pound-for-pound kingpin, Roman "El Chocolatito" Gonzalez (43-0, 37 KO's) represents not only another chance at the top of boxing's lightest weight divisions, but also, another crack at defining his legacy.
Not long ago Viloria, 34, was considered the man to beat at flyweight, alongside his opponent Saturday night, the undefeated Gonzalez. He had just beaten the dangerous Hernan "Tyson" Marquez by knockout and became the first man to unify the flyweight titles in nearly five decades.
The Filipino-American from Waipahu, Hawaii was enjoying his best run as a professional prizefighter. That was until he was met with a familiar setback which has plagued him for years.
Viloria lost his titles to Juan Francisco Estrada in 2013 and returned to the proverbial drawing board to reevaluate his career.
Friday night, on the eve of the big fight, Viloria and Gonzalez stepped on the scales. Both fighters docked in at 111.4 pounds, a shade under the flyweight limit, but it was Viloria who wore the smiles and was beaming with energy.
"I just want it to be a great fight," said Viloria, a former US Olympian.
"I just want to give an exciting fight for fight fans, just to have the stage, to show that the guys in the lighter weight divisions can also perform to the best."
If this is what Viloria is worried about, he's in great shape. With his fan-friendly style, Viloria is rarely in a boring fight and will definitely look to please spectators who are expected to pack the rafters of the iconic Madison Square Garden.
The good thing is, Viloria recognizes the magnitude of this opportunity.
"This is the biggest fight of my career, absolutely," said Viloria, acknowledging the importance of this bout.
"You have to look at what I'm going up against. I'm fighting the pound-for-pound world champion."
Indeed, Gonzalez took the sport's pole position after Floyd Mayweather announced his retirement following a rout of Andre Berto. And it isn't like Gonzalez didn't earn his spot atop boxing's mythical pound-for-pound rankings. Gonzalez has beaten every fighter put in front of him with relative ease, which has resulted in 37 stoppage victories out of 43.
To be able to beat Gonzalez, Viloria will have to muster every last bit of his Olympic boxing pedigree and the power that has carried him throughout his professional career.
"The best. I think you will see the best Brian Viloria that's ever been in the ring," said Viloria, who is ready to give fans the performance of a lifetime.
"I don't think I've ever prepared myself any better in my other world title fights. For me to go out there and perform at my best, that's what you'll see on fight night."
Gonzalez poses a tricky challenge for Viloria. The Nicaraguan slugger is tireless in the ring, who throws in bunches from different angles and punches like a mule. In many ways, fighting Gonzalez would be like Viloria fighting a better version of himself.
But the man known as 'The Hawaiian Punch' isn't easily fazed, despite the significance of the match.
"I'm fighting the pound-for-pound world champion. I'm fighting for the WBC world title on the main stage in the United States, in New York city, on Pay-Per-View on HBO. It can't get any bigger than this," said Viloria.
"This is the Super Bowl of boxing for me. You take it for what it is. I just have to go in there and perform the best that I can."
