Former unified flyweight world champion, Brian "The Hawaiian Punch" Viloria may have lost to pound-for-pound king Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez, but he certainly more than held his own against the sport's best fighter. At 34 years of age, Viloria still has what it takes to be a force in the division.
Gonzalez gave his best effort and while he didn't appear to even break a sweat, the Nicaraguan slugger felt every bit of Viloria's power, and then some.
Viloria entered the fight in the best shape of his life and it showed. Stamina was on point, punching power was way on point, what was lacking was a game plan to thwart Chocolatito's style.
Viloria often missed wild left hooks. He just couldn't get the timing down while Gonzalez was pinpoint accurate every step of the way. When Gonzalez dropped Viloria with a short right hand, it changed the complexity of the fight.
The Filipino-American spent most of the rest of the way trying to shake off the cobwebs, and it affected his performance.
But while the sting of defeat is always a handful to deal with following a big fight, Viloria has much to be happy about. Firstly, he fought the fight of his life and showed fans the gas tank isn't all that empty after all. From the opening bell to when the fight ended, Viloria was right in Gonzalez' grill, threatening to land a potentially fight-ending shot.
And Gonzalez knew too.
How Gonzalez claimed victory is more of a testament to his greatness as a fighter, as opposed to Viloria's performance. On any other given night, what Viloria gave would have been enough, but not this night. This night belonged to Gonzalez and rightfully so.
What's next for Brian Viloria?
After 15 years as a professional, Viloria has seen it all. Where it used to be his power and speed, his best asset is now his experience. And while others will clamor for his retirement, seeing no other path but to do so, it's all a matter of perception and ultimately how you look at it.
For anyone other than Chocolatito, Viloria is a lot to handle. He can battle his way back up like he's done so many times in his career, or, he can be delegated to a gatekeeper role for younger fighters. My guess is that he finds a way back up to another crack at Gonzalez.
Gonzalez may have won the battle, but he didn't come out unscathed. In the 9th round, just before Gonzalez put on the finishing touches, Vilora smacked him with a body shot and nearly stopped him. The pound-for-pound king recovered almost immediately, which can be attributed to his elite conditioning.
WBO flyweight champion Naoya Inoue seems to be coming into his own as of late, and the public interest in a fight between the Japanese stalwart and Gonzalez is growing. But maybe it's high time Inoue is tested against someone like Viloria?
If Viloria wins, it would set up a rematch with Gonzalez.
No matter what, there is no doubt Viloria still has what it takes to be a force in this sport. It all depends on how you look at it.
Are you a gas tank is half-empty, or half-full kind of guy?